To Be A Lady
by 8 Acres East
Summary: Rini, blessed with new abilities from Sailor Cosmos, returns to the 30th century with her sailor team. However, the awakening of her scouts draws the attention of a new enemy in the heart of the Amazon jungle. Whose is the voice that speaks in Rini's dreams? Can she learn to trust the scouts she barely knows? It takes more than a little Pink Sugar to be Sailor Lady Moon.
1. Chapter 1

To Be A Lady

Amazon Jungle Arc

Volume I of Sailor Lady Moon: Crystal Tokyo Collection

* * *

The whole world was ringing, on fire, alight with Galaxia's wicked orange glow. Sailor Ceres was yelling something, but Rini could not hear above the wild throb of the cauldron. The humming of sailor crystals and the pounding of her heart filled her ears. Sailor Pallas and Sailor Vesta lay motionless amongst the rubble, uniforms in rags. Sailor Juno, kneeling, held an arm around her ribcage, and a patch of red grew steadily along the seam of her white sailor glove. Her face was pale, and bruised. Her lip bled, and Rini had to look away. She could feel the team's injuries as if they were her own.

_Sailor Moon will fix this. Sailor Moon will fix this. _

She looked to her mother, her idol, who stood between Rini and the edge of the cauldron. Her wings were ragged. The bile rose Rini's mouth as Sailor Moon—as _Mama_—dropped to her knees, crying "_Darien_!"

Pressure in her chest grew tighter and tighter, twists in her stomach multiplied, as Tuxedo Mask fell.

Rini's hand flew towards her future father, grabbing at the space between, and suddently she realized that the limb was transparent. The fuzzy outline of her palm encircled the slouched, shaking shoulders of her future mother.

Rini fell to her knees, clutching her tiny invisible fists.

Papa fell into the stars and died.

Which meant that, by default, she too was dead.

A numbness spread from her chest to her limbs. "Sailor Moon…Mama…"_ I will always be a little girl. In my last moments, I cried for mommy._

Then all was dark.

* * *

_Princess..._

_Princess Lady Serenity..._

A tickle on her cheek, and Rini's eyes opened to a hazy, creamy white. She tried to move, but her body did not respond. An ache in her back—and then Rini saw that she possessed wings. Feathers shifted, and Rini's vision cleared.

A silhouette walked towards her through the lavender light, through a soft orange haze like the colors of a setting sun. Somehow, Rini knew it was not an enemy. That comfort gave her strength to move.

Rini stood, and stretched her arms, and stretched the wings. "Are Mama and Papa here? Where are my scouts? What's happened to my friends?" _Who am I even speaking to? Does it even matter? _Her heart began to ache.

"Princess Lady Serenity." The voice was familiar. A scout, with dusky purple hair in heart-shaped buns. Though the body was grown, Rini instantly realized who—

"Chibi Chibi," she breathed. "Why aren't you with Sailor Moon?" _Have you died as well? _Rini absorbed the pleats in the sailor skirt, the lavender choker around Chibi Chibi's pale neck."Chibi Chibi, you look different," she remarked. "You've grown."

Chibi Chibi's hand went to her heart, softly fisted. She smiled gently, and Rini felt an overwhelming sense of peace.

_So this is what happens when you die. _

"I am Sailor Cosmos," the scout replied. "I am… a coward. As we speak, Sailor Moon fights Galaxia with every ounce of bravery I abandoned." She turned, and smiled at Rini. "But I wish to fix that here and now." There was a secret in the corner of her smile.

Rini, brought to shame in the presence of such power, tugged self-consciously at the edge of her soft white dress. "How?" The ache in her heart, dull and small, grew with each word. Throbbing despair. "How will it be fixed? How can you take back our death?" Rini choked on the words.

Sailor Cosmos approached Rini, regarding her gently. Rini, staring at the wings on the shoes of Sailor Cosmos, looked up into her navy eyes when she felt a gloved hand lift her chin. "Sailor Moon will accomplish this," Cosmos said. "You will be restored to the 30th Century. And your team, as well. All of you will live beyond this day."

"Yet I just watched my Papa die!" Rini barked. Cosmos softened her gaze. Rini backed down, suddenly embarrassed. "Sorry," she muttered. "I know…I know that Sailor Moon can win. I do."

The scout appeared not to hear. A single star twinkled above them. "My time is short," Cosmos murmured, eyes on the star. "I must return to the Cauldron and play my role." She stepped away from Rini and held up her staff. Rini felt a tickle on her skin, all over her arms, legs, at the tip of her nose. It was the static of Cosmos gathering power, though the source of this warmth was unfamiliar. Then a violent wind erupted—and suddenly the simple shift that Rini was wearing became her familiar royal gown.

"Princess Lady Serenity." Sailor Cosmos' voice rang strong and regal. "Yours is a beautiful inheritance. A princess, yet a soldier. Protected by moonlight and the lights of this universe. Guarded by dreamlight from the heart of this planet. The blood of the moon and the blood of the earth run together in your veins. The power of light and dark work together in your heart. Enemies became your protectors. You are the embodiment of innocence, yet possess the wisdom of a millennium." The starburst on Sailor Cosmos' forehead glowed and shot two beams of light, one into a crescent moon on Rini's forehead, the other into her heart. Rini winced, faltering for a moment, then stood straight once more, welcoming the gentle pressure of this power.

The Pink Moon Crystal materialized in front of her heart, and the beam of light was split by the angles of the jewel. Threads of light wove around Rini's body, all stemming from the Crystal, connected to Sailor Cosmos' power.

"Contrasts dwell peacefully within your heart. Sailor Mini Moon, I grant you new powers as the Scout of Symmetry. The power to join paths. The power to harmonize. No longer will you live and fight in a state of quiescence."

Sailor Mini Moon's hand began to feel hot. She looked down and saw a new scepter taking form in her grasp. An intricate circle, curving within itself to form a sort of yin and yang, with designs of the moon within the sun, of a rose and its thorns. Now her crystal rested in the center of this design. She looked up at Sailor Cosmos again, as the light faded. She was shocked to see a thin web of black traveling down the length of the ruby staff—was it darkness? Her eyes shot up to Sailor Cosmos.

"I don't quite understand yet. Harmonies? Qui—quintessence?" Her eyes grew tense, focused. "Why is there a darkness in this weapon?" she asked, voice hardened.

"Quiescence. A state of sleep." Cosmos placed a cool hand on Rini's bare shoulder. "You have grown, yet your body has not yet caught up. Balance will now be restored. You are to become now Sailor Lady Moon." She traced a finger along the dark veins that traveled down Rini's new weapon. "And darkness will not fear you, just as you have not been afraid. Not all that is dark is the enemy, Rini. The shadow is a measure of the sun."

There was a rumble in the distance. Cosmos' eyes narrowed. Her face tilted upwards to a distant pinprick of light among the dark sky overhead. Then, to the young Princess' shock, Cosmos knelt down, placing a hand over her heart. "Princess Lady Serenity. Sailor Lady Moon. You are not, and have never truly been, a little girl. My gift to you—it is an honor to give it." Then, Cosmos lifted from the ground, moving rapidly towards the star, and faded away, a traveling beam of light.

"W-wait! I still have questions—" Rini stretched her hand out to the star, but the light flickered, and disappeared. Her fingers fell and her face crumpled in confusion. She locked her grasp around the staff, running a finger along its side. It was at least a foot taller than she was. Would she seriously grow into it, now that Sailor Cosmos had spoken over her? She looked out at the bareness of her surroundings and tried to consider what would lie beyond. Rini longed for Setsuna in that moment, reminded of the solitary guardian.

"Shadows and light…" she murmured.

Suddenly, the staff faded, her gown faded back into the white shift from earlier, and all turned to a crisp, pure light.

Rini floated up, as though through water, but instead of moisture, she felt the dust of stars. It stuck to her like sand at the beach. She burst out from the sand and saw in an instant the familiar golden hair, the familiar bony shoulders of her mother. Darien stood with the rest of the sailor team, who surrounded the sobbing Bunny. All safe, all whole. Rini let out a soft sob of her own. She continued to float, but extended her hands and touched her mother's cheek before it went out of reach.

"Bunny." _Mama. Find me in the 30__th__ Century._

* * *

Rini continued to float, and her wings propelled her all the way through time into Crystal Tokyo, where she found herself soaring on the cool breeze of a summer night.

Crystal Tokyo appeared to be untouched by the mayhem that plagued its past. Rini was grateful to see the unperturbed stars, the gentle sway of the park trees. She wafted across the night and landed lightly on the steps to the palace.

Stepping forward, the carved wooden door made itself known to the youngest of the royal family in an instant. Rini gently pressed the door open, taking in the familiar lavender smell that permeated the palace—the Queen's perfume lingered everywhere. Moonlight lay across the floor in neat white squares.

The light, dull patter of paws, a flicker in the moonlight, and suddenly Diana was snuggled against her chest. Rini fell to her knees, and the wings faded from her back, dust in the moonlight.

"_Diana_," she whispered. "Diana, my heart broke…" She closed her eyes, concentrating on stopping the tremble in her lower lip. Visions of bright orange fire danced against the closed lids.

The gray kitten purred, rubbing her head against Rini's chin. "Your majesty," she meowed. "You are safe. Your family is safe. And your team is here, asleep already."

"I'm so…" Rini's voice shook. "…so glad. I'm so glad everyone is safe." Her laugh hitched and she stood, swiping at her moist eyes.

Diana cuddled into Rini's elbow, warm and fluffy and slightly bony as well. "You are home now," the cat squeaked, beaming up at the pink-haired child.

Rini tip-toed to her bedroom and released Diana from her grasp. She changed into striped pajamas that pooled around her feet. She crawled under her covers as Diana settled into the pillow beside her.

The kitten was quickly and deeply asleep. But Rini lay awake, following the trail of glow-in-the-dark stars across her ceiling. She could hear the _swish_ _swish_ of leaves against her window.

Then Rini, tearing up once more, was overwhelmed by the sense of _home_.

And even though she had just seen them all, wearing white on the beach, all alive and well—

Rini tossed the covers aside and swiftly ran, hardwood floors smooth against her foot. The door to her parents' bedroom creaked as she inched it open.

Papa was reading a newspaper by dim lamplight, glasses shielding his eyes from her. And Mama was curled up beneath the covers, fast asleep and most likely drooling.

Papa removed his glasses, and trained his eyes on Rini in the doorway. He smiled softly at her, and Rini choked back a sob.

"Welcome back, sweet pea." Papa folded the newspaper and set it gently on the nightstand, careful not to move the arm that was Mama's pillow.

"You really are alive," Rini whispered. "That was..." she swallowed hard. "That was the closest we've ever been."

Darien nodded, sighed. "I know it must have been difficult to see. We've had a whole nine-hundred years to make our peace with it, but it is still so fresh for you. We knew it would be best to wait up for your return…" he looked down at the snoring Bunny. "She's not used to all-nighters like I am." He chuckled, and Rini's heart warmed at the music of it.

_We're alive and whole and we'll be happy together. _

Rini crawled into the bed, throwing her arm across a bleary, mumbling Neo-Queen. She closed her eyes, pulled up the covers, and Papa turned off the lamplight. Moonlight from the window cast a blanket on the royal family as they grew still.

Sleep came quickly.

* * *

The moonlight peered through the wild tangled vines, the broad leaves, and dappled the ground below her feet. She flew across the forest floor, skating over fallen leaves, vaulting over the mossy bodies of dead trees, casting aside vines from her vision as she sprinted.

The jungle was teeming with creatures, yellow eyes that watched the journey of the shadowy figure, judging her ability, wondering whether or not to strike. She could hear the way creatures were slicing through the river nearby. She could smell the scat from jungle cats, the bark of the medicine trees.

Her feet were bare, but bracelets glistened in the dark, jingling around her ankles. Their tinkling was the only sound but for one _zip_ and one sharp yelp. She did not push away the branch in time. The figure stopped short, bringing a hand to the gash on her face. Tree frogs cried out in the night, dissonant and persistent.

She gently pressed against the broad, moist leaves, and the jungle gave way to a small circular clearing. A stone pyramid stood in its center, covered in vines. Beams of moonlight shone down on the structure, casting its shadow upon the woman.

The woman approached, walking with urgency, clutching a slingshot against her side, hiking up the small leather satchel that lay across her back.

A symbol, resembling an unfinished star shape, glowed in brilliant orange on her forehead. The same symbol, where it was etched on the temple stone, glowed out through the vines. The wall receded, and the willowy figure slipped into the pyramid.

She wound through several stone hallways before the maze gave way to an open room, where all was dark but for the golden light of a deep spring, whose water reflections danced across the ceiling of the room.

By the light of this golden water, one could see that the woman's clothes, a simple vest and shorts, were of the same brown leather as her satchel, and her skin was a deep brown as well. Her eyes were ink black. Her hair was the same silky black, but at the end of some beaded strands were orange feathers. Parts of her hair were wrapped in thread, so that it spilled from her head in nine different ponytails.

She knelt at the edge of the spring. "I call on Hippolyta, guardian of the Amazon," she declared, in a voice that was husky and low.

The water began to bubble and foam. Hands rose out of the water, followed by slender arms, followed by the rest of a figure with dark, wavy hair, tied up in several buns. Somehow, the crimson gown that she wore was dry, like the rest of her body. Hippolyta stepped forward from the spring water, regarding the speaker with icy blue eyes.

"Astraea," she spat. "What brings you here to disturb my slumber?"

The woman called Astraea rose, and the slingshot in her hand trembled, betraying nerves that were disguised by the cool posture she had adopted. "My sisters are gone," she said. "Their stones have disappeared."

Hippolyta screeched. "What?" She sliced the air with her arm.

"The Amazon jungle cries out in their absence," Astraea continued. "The land is trying to bring them back."

Hippolyta crossed her arms over the plunging neckline of her red dress. "It is my ugly mother's fault," she murmured. "Zirconia awoke them too soon, in her haste to win. And now they've gone over to the dark side." She eyed her companion and reached out a slender hand, cupping Astraea's chin. "Thank goodness you're here, my dear," she murmured, with no hint of warmth.

"Th-there's more, Hippolyta," Astraea continued. "The jungle...without my sisters, the jungle is dying."

Hippolyta's tone softened, though her eyes did not. "Our precious home...My daughter, we must find the crystal that can save our home."

"Where?" Astraea breathed.

Hippolyta's eyes were black. The spring, behind the two figures, frothed and surged, angry. "We must do what my mother could not. We must capture the Golden Crystal."

* * *

8 Acres East

Hello! I recently wrote a fanfiction entitled _Balance_, in which I wanted to create a new set of stories for Rini and her scouts. While writing its first chapters, I realized that I wanted to approach the project differently. I've used writing from that story, now deleted, to begin the creation of this new story (the first in a series, hopefully). I have a better plan and a stronger plot than what I started in _Balance. _

_To Be A Lady_ is the first of the Sailor Lady Moon: Crystal Tokyo Collection stories. Rini's many dreams (to be a beautiful lady, a proud scout, to have a prince of her own) are about to be realized when the protection of Crystal Tokyo becomes her sole responsibility. As Rini grows, she learns what it means to be the person she dreams about becoming.

My writing is based mainly around events in the manga. I borrow from the manga and the anime, depending on what I like and what suits my purpose. Neither the manga nor the anime belong to me, although I do create original characters within this piece of writing.


	2. Chapter 2

**To Be A Lady**

**Chapter 2**

* * *

**_Maiden, help us, we're dying._**

**_Find the stars._**

**_We must find the stars together._**

**_We are dead without them._**

* * *

Rini blinked her garnet eyes open. The early sun that cast its brightest beam across her face. Her parents were both still snoring—the Queen, a soft, buzzy snooze, and the King, a cacophonous snort that must have been what disrupted her dream. Those mysterious voices. They were so sad.

"Coffee," she mumbled. Then she swung her legs out from under the covers—and hit them against the nightstand, stubbing her toe. Rini swore, swinging her head back around to be sure her parents were not awake from the sound.

The Queen moaned something along the lines of _oh Darien_ and shifted an arm over her eyes. Rini grimaced. _Yuck. Keep your dream to yourself, Mom._

Her hand landed against something soft, but not the pillow. Rini clutched the silky material in her hand and brought it before her eyes. She gasped.

A long pink ponytail fell from her hand to the floor below. Though Rini could hardly believe it, a pinch against her cone-shaped bun as she tugged at the hair was enough to confirm that it was hers.

"What's going on…?" she whispered to herself.

She reached down for her slippers, but her knuckles knocked against the floor, harsh and loud. "Owie…that's never happened before." She slipped her foot into a slipper and began to walk, zombie-like, to the door.

Suddenly she realized that the slippers only covered half of her foot. And her pajama pants were suspiciously short, the top suspiciously tight. Rini looked down at her feet in wonder. Then she turned to the mirror above the dresser—the mirror that _used to be too tall for her to see_—and she saw the face of Wicked Lady.

Rini clapped a hand over her mouth, trying to contain a shriek.

No.

It wasn't Wicked Lady. It was just…

"_Sailor Lady Moon_," Rini whispered, echoing the words of Sailor Cosmos.

The King stirred, and—as if growing twenty-four inches in height (and thirty-six inches in hair) overnight wasn't strange enough—Rini's spine began to tingle as she heard his mumbled words.

"_…find the stars together…we are dead…"_

Rini looked at her slumbering parents for one long moment. Then she yanked open the door and sprinted down the hall.

* * *

"Hotaru, honey, time for breakfast!"

Hotaru yanked the white hotel sheets further over her head with a groan, willing Michiru's voice to lower its volume. "Michi-mamaaa," she moaned. "Let me sleep."

"C'mon, 'taru, you have an entire lifetime to sleep!" Haruka-papa's voice boomed through the hotel room as she pushed open the wooden shutters. "But how often are you in Rome?"

Hotaru's eyes opened, and underneath the covers, she saw only creamy white, and the hazy outlines of her parents. Caving, she threw aside the sheets and peered into the (shiny, alert, morning people) faces of Haruka and Michiru.

Their smiling faces changed quickly into looks of surprise and shock. Hotaru, confused, peered down at herself, and saw that the tank top she wore was barely covering her midriff. The elastic on her shorts was completely taut. And her feet were hanging off of the bed.

Haruka whistled. "Seems like we've hit another growth spurt." She threw an arm around Michiru. "The princess must be freaking out." Michiru leaned into her partner and crossed her arms, eyes thoughtful.

Hotaru swung her legs over the edge of the bed and walked towards the large suitcase next to the door. She unzipped the top and pulled out one of Michiru's purple sundresses. "Can I borrow this?" she asked. Michiru nodded, and Hotaru disappeared into the bathroom.

Haruka perched on the edge of the window, watching the hive of activity in the street below. Rome had seen so many technological advances in the Silver Millenium. However, though Italy was advanced, it had retained so much of the timeless quality, that rich history. Haruka could tell the country took pride in its past, its heritage. How else to explain the continued existence of these cobblestone streets, when Crystal Tokyo was paved in synthesized neo-minerals?

The muffled sound of the shower filled the hotel room.

"Our Hotaru. Cool as a cucumber," Michiru said softly. She perched on the opposite side of the window and regarded Haruka with wonder in her eyes. "Do you think she minds? Only growing as those around her grow?"

Haruka hugged a knee and rested her chin in the elbow. "It's her duty as a scout to mature with the one she protects. If Rini woke up one morning a baby, Hotaru would be a baby again too. It's not a question of like or don't like. It's just the way it is."

Michiru sighed. "She'll be wanting a haircut, though."

Haruka raised an eyebrow. "Oh, but long hair is so beautiful."

Michiru laughed at that, jokingly flicking her hair over her shoulder like a model. The sounds of the water ceased, and the door cracked open, letting steam waft into the room. From her vantage point, the Neptune princess could see Hotaru's reflection studying the mirror.

Haruka chuckled, eyes on the milling crowd below. "Win or lose, after this race," she said, with a serious tone, "we return to Crystal Tokyo."

Michiru nodded. "I'll book the tickets today."

* * *

The crown princess of Crystal Tokyo studied her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Early morning light, trickled in from a window above, bathed the fixtures of the room in a cool yellow, and cast a sheen across the glass. Her pink hair, still fuzzy from sleep, slid on her shoulders as her body contorted.

Garnet eyes were taking in the tight seams along her shoulders, the arm cuffs at her elbow, the pants that were equally shrunken. The plaid flannel shirt, which was large when she fell asleep, barely covered her midriff now.

Diana was sniffing all around her ankles, batting a paw cautiously at the hair that was now within her reach. Her earlier shock, which had her catapulting from her pillow, had waned into an intense curiosity.

"Hey, stop that!" Rini yanked away the ponytail and peered down at the cat.

"Sorry, Rini," the cat squeaked, blushing. She leapt onto the counter, watching as Rini contorted her body, trying to study all angles. "You look beautiful, your majesty," she added. "Your parents will be thrilled."

Rini sighed and turned on the water, removing the tight clothing (which took effort, and many creative contortions). She began to bunch her hair under a cap, but gave up when she realized that there was too much for it to fit. Steam began to fog the mirror. Rini yanked the bobby pins from her buns and, grabbing the hairbrush that Diana offered, quickly untangled the knots at the end.

"You're going to need more shampoo," Diana said thoughtfully to the wall. She had turned her body to give Rini privacy.

Rini laughed as she stepped into the shower. "Definitely," she confirmed. She closed her eyes, relishing the warmth of the shower, and smiled to herself.

_Sailor Cosmos, thank you._

* * *

Finally feeling as though the battle with Galaxia had been washed away, Rini stepped from the shower.

She opened her drawers and, frowning, saw that her clothes would be too small. Rini pulled on her (too small, but modest enough) robe. She slipped down the hall to her parents' room once again, opening the door slowly.

Mama and Papa were no longer in the room. _Must have been in the shower longer than I thought_. One of the palace maids, stripping the sheets, froze in her task as she locked eyes with the visitor.

"You…you're…"

Rini sighed. "Yes, it's me, Tara. I managed to grow up."

Tara bowed low. "Yes, Lady." Then, armed with her laundry, she hastily exited the room, tossing one last look at the adult Rini.

Rini pulled underwear, jeans, and a white cotton shirt from the drawers. At the last second, she grabbed an olive cargo jacket as well, thoughtfully rubbing the sleeve.

Once again she admired herself in the mirror. The jacket fit well, so long as she rolled up the sleeves. The jeans were a tad short too, but the shirt looked fine, so Rini slipped on a pair of flip flops and left. She tossed the towel back into her bedroom and hastily descended to breakfast in the dining room.

Voices became apparent before Rini had entered. She heard the wild laughter of Mina and Vesta, the indignant growl that belonged to Raye (perhaps as the butt of the joke), the soft rumble that was her Papa's comments on the news (though no one ever listened). The clatter of spoons on bowls and forks on plates continued as Rini entered the room. She went immediately to the side table, where a pitcher of coffee was waiting with her name on it.

_And three, two, one…_

All noise ceased, and Rini turned, armed with a coffee cup, meeting the several pairs of eyes.

"Good morning." Rini felt her face growing hot, and she scowled. Diana wove into the room behind her, hopping up on the table to greet her parents, whose faces were mirror expressions of shock.

Then, the chaos.

The Queen shrieked, and immediately the King's glass of orange juice shattered. Endymion's mask was flecked with specks of orange, but his eyes remained on his daughter, unblinking.

Juno had dropped her bagel on the ground, and was now picking it up, staring guiltily at the cream cheese on the floor. Ceres looked Rini up, down, then returned to the magazine she was reading, holding out her napkin to Juno. Vesta's spoon fell from her mouth back into the yogurt, causing some moist granola to land on Mina's forearm. Raye reached out to wipe it away, all the while staring at Rini as she made her way to sit beside Ami (who, absorbed in a book, was oblivious). Pallas, on the other side, cheerfully raised a glass of milk.

"Good morning, Princess!" she bubbled. "You're as old as we are now!" Rini was flooded with gratitude for the ordinary response, and gave Pallas a small smile. Laughter echoed across the table.

"Good morning, Small Lady," said the Queen, recovered. She eyed the familiar outfit. "We'll have to buy some clothing for you, I see," she remarked.

"Yes, Mama." Rini sipped her coffee and reached for a bagel from the platter on the table.

Lita whistled. "Lookin' good, Rin! You're not much shorter than me! When did this happen, huh?" She bit into a scone with gusto.

Rini stirred in her cream and, studying the breakfast array on the table, selected a bowl of scrambled eggs and drew it towards her plate. "Well, last night I got back, and fell asleep," she looked over at her parents, who were handing shards of glass carefully to one of the palace aides, "And then I woke up older."

"Interesting." Raye, whose breakfast was a mug of green tea clasped in both hands, closed her eyes. "I don't feel any dark energy from her," she murmured. "It must be genuine growth."

Rini wrinkled her nose. "Of course it's the real deal," she snapped, eager to defend the growth spurt she had craved for so long. "Sailor Cosmos made it happen."

The Queen's head turned. "Chibi Chibi?" she gasped. "You saw her as Sailor Cosmos?"

Rini nodded at her mother. "She told me…" flashes of their conversation swept through Rini's mind. "She said a lot."

A palace aide, dressed in the navy uniform of the guard, slipped a piece of paper next to the King's place. King Endymion nodded at the man, dismissing him with Crystal Tokyo's salute: he pressed two fingers against his temple, and then dropped his hand into an outstretched palm.

_It's a symbol of what we must remember to give, _Rini remembered Papa explaining, _Two fingers for love and hope…one open palm to represent the giving of both._

She met the Queen's inquiring gaze once again, taking another small sip of coffee.

"Small Lady," the King said, turning his attention to the table once more, "tell us everything that passed between you and Sailor Cosmos."

* * *

The dull whir of computers had been the only company with him this morning. That was the joy of being the first one at work. Nobody else was quite as much a morning person as he. (Nor was anyone as much a night owl.)

His papers were stacked in neat piles across the top of his desk. Patient files, worn spiral notebooks, highlighted research journals, student work to be graded—ah, the organized chaos that was a research paper in a tenure year.

He tucked a caramel piece of hair away from his face and pressed his glasses closer to the bridge of his nose. His eyes, sharp and calculating, traveled across the computer screen.

**_Neo-Synthesized Crystal Energy and its Role in the Treatment of Dementia Patients_**

**_Dr. Zachory Stone, Ph.D. _**

He sipped his tea slowly, savoring the bitter taste of green. A co-worker had once complimented the extraordinary match in the color of his favored drink and the color of his eyes. (He had then launched into an explanation of Mendelian inheritance that somehow ended with his postulated theory regarding the human genome, and somewhere in between the lovely girl had disappeared.)

A small television blared from where it nestled snugly in the midst of a well-stocked bookshelf. It mainly served as background noise, while Dr. Stone sifted through the bits and pieces of data. Occasionally, he tapped at the keyboard, tweaking the paper he was (not quite, but almost) publishing.

_From Dr. Mizuno's (2945) research study, we can conclude that the administration of neo-synthesized crystal energy in small doses at regular intervals to patients of severe stroke or dementia may stall the growth of beta-amyloids that eventually become plaques. It also encourages the production of tau protein, which in turn contributes to the prevention of neurofibrillary tangles. All patients saw an improvement in performance on memory tasks as well. Dr. Stone's (2946) study, conducted the following year with a larger pool of participants, found the neo-synthesized crystal energy to have the same effect on the demented brain as was previously recorded. It may not be such a stretch, then, to say that neo-synthesized crystal energy aids in the restoration of memory. _

The elusive Dr. Mizuno, who never responded to any emailed queries despite the similarities between their research. Zachory Stone could only assume that this Dr. Mizuno, hailed as the most brilliant woman in the Crystal Tokyo medical community, was also the most aloof. Too busy to consult with college professors. Too busy to be present at exhibitions for her research. (The department had placed bets on who would be the first to meet her.)

A breezy pop melody wafted through his office, and Dr. Stone glanced up briefly to see the golden-haired Princess V dancing on his television screen. He grimaced. Somehow it made him a bit weary to hear her lyrics, melodies woven into little bits of bass drum and bubblegum tones.

_I've never been the queen of hearts/My stories end before they start…PRINCESS V CONCERT TICKETS ON SALE NOW! PRINCESS V WILL BE TRAVELING TO PROMOTE HER LATEST ALBUM, __**SILVER MEMORIES**__. _

Something prickled down the back of Dr. Stone's spine as the program slid back into the news. Just as Kiri Yamamoto of channel 46 began to interview a neo-mineral miner, the door to his office opened.

Dr. Ittou Asanuma, a colleague in the Neuroscience department at Crystal Tokyo University, poked his head in the door. "Yo, Zoy," he said ('an odd nickname for an oddly spelled name', Asanuma had said once), "I'm running out for a coffee. Want one?"

'Zoy' held out his tea and shook his head in response. "Thanks all the same."

Asanuma flashed him a thumbs up and darted back down the hall.

"Good luck in the interview!" Dr. Stone called to his retreating figure. He glanced at the TV screen.

_-Do you feel as though your life were threatened during your time in the mines?_

_-Yes. The air was poor, and many of us fell…ill, in a peculiar way. Several men have gone missing…still more act in unusual ways, like wanderers…_

Dr. Stone frowned at the haggard, bearded face of the miner—one of the workers who harvested neo-minerals in the Amazon that were driving current medical advancement.

_Like wanderers…_

Dr. Stone switched gears, pausing the parts of his brain that composed a research paper, and pulled open new tabs on his computer to explore the situation in the Amazon…

* * *

By the time Rini's explanations were done, breakfast had been cleared away, and all members of the table were instead chewing on her words.

"Well," Lita began, "it's clear that Cosmos used her power to awaken your body. What we don't know is how those powers will express themselves." She folded her arms.

"Scout of Symmetry…" Ami murmured. "It sounds like a blessing, similar to what the Queen gave our past selves during Black Moon's attack." She turned to the Queen. "Rini must have some powers now that we don't."

Rini thought of her staff with its intertwined light and darkness. _The power to join paths. The power to harmonize_. She wasn't certain what it would mean, but the thought of having a power all her own was exciting. She twisted the napkin in her lap. "How do I find out what they are?" she asked the table.

Mina draped an arm across the back of Rini's chair. "The next step is obvious." She beamed at the scouts. "It's time for Rini and her team to take over. Sailor _Lady_ Moon, right?" She winked at Rini. "Nothing 'mini' about that."

The Sailor Quartet let out a collective gasp. Rini's spine began to tingle. Her eyes landed on her parents, who were exchanging a conversation with their eyes. The Queen nodded gently at her husband.

The King removed his mask, much like Darien of the Past would remove his glasses. "I agree with Mina," he stated. "With your help," he gestured to the inner scouts, pointing the edge of the mask their way. "We must train the new scouts. Just because we haven't needed to battle in so long doesn't mean that there isn't new danger approaching."

The Queen nodded. "In fact, this is why I've called everyone to breakfast this morning. Not only to welcome the return of my daughter and her scouts," she motioned to the quartet, smiling at her daughter, "but also to establish our next steps."

The King folded his hands across the flattened newspaper. Rini craned her neck and saw that its headline read **_Death of the Amazon Rainforest Imminent, Crystal Tokyo Neo-Mineral Mines to Blame. _**"We have reason to believe that a new Enemy will be returning soon. Several of the union leaders have approached with stories of peculiar things happening in the mines. The Council meeting today should give us more information." He gazed at Rini, a level stare. "Be ready for anything."

Rini thought back to the mysterious words of her dream. _Yes,_ she thought to herself, _something is about to happen. _She studied her hands. _I haven't grown without some purpose behind it._

The four nodded firmly back at their King, who stood. The Queen stood beside him. She beamed down at her daughter. "My Small Lady, I would be happy to pass on my responsibility to a new Sailor Moon," she said.

Rini's heart pounded. She stood and saluted her parents, palm stretched out firmly. "I'm ready_._"

Ceres stood as well. "And we are too," she asserted, fist over her heart. The rest of the quartet nodded, chairs scraping the floor as they all stood.

Rini smiled shyly at them, clasping her hands together behind her back.

Endymion looked to the Queen with a nod. "Council meeting." The two began towards the door.

Rini stretched out a hand. "Wait, Dad—" She wanted to talk to him about the voice in her dream.

The King glanced over his shoulder. "Quickly, Rin, we're late already," he called.

Rini's arm fell to her side. "Nothing, I'll ask later." She ignored the eyes of her scouts and sat down once more, sipping the last of her coffee. But Papa lingered, and so Rini hopped up again, with a quick "Er, actually!"

She strode over to her parents, almost tripping on the edge of Raye's chair as she rounded the table. Papa's posture was relaxed, but his warm eyes looked hurried.

"Papa, um, do you remember what you dreamt last night?"

The Queen sighed with exasperation. "Rini."

The King furrowed his brow. "I…don't." He looked sharply at his daughter. "Did something happen?"

Rini faltered. The dream may have been unusual, but the stress of battle could have induced it. Certainly, a strange dream was not to be trifled with, but in this moment, it felt so far from real. "N-no, I just had a crazy dream last night, probably coming off of Galaxia, and hoped I didn't wake you up, or it didn't leak over or anything." She started to wave it off. "It's not a big deal."

The Queen touched the King's arm, and the King dipped his head. "Are you sure?" he murmured. Rini nodded firmly. "Okay then."

The King's cloak whipped regally as the two departed. At the table, Artemis planted a cat kiss on Luna's cheek, then scampered out the door behind them.

Rini sat down once more, looking to Mina. "Where do we start?"

Luna stepped forward, gracefully weaving through the candlesticks to the center of the table. "First, you will all be starting high school in one week."

"_What?_" Juno was in shock.

Vesta groaned, laying her head on the table.

"Yay!" Pallas pumped a fist in the air.

Ceres brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "We've never been to school before," she said darkly. "How will we know what to do?"

"You'll have help," Ami offered. "I tutor in my free time."

"What, all that time you have between being a sailor scout and running a hospital, you mean?" Mina laughed. "Might want to call in Michiru."

Rini was equally depressed as Ceres. "I'm 905," she moaned. "I already learned all of this!" Rini's body may have stayed in third grade, but her mind did not. The outer senshi had been her private tutors for the better part of a century.

Luna, ignoring the scouts, motioned to Ami. "We'll need to get the papers together. And today they need to buy supplies, uniforms…"

Ami nodded and stood, looking at her watch. "I've already gotten the papers together. I'll call the school as soon as I can." She gathered her book, tucking it into a black briefcase, and snapped the lid shut. "I've got to go. There are some early appointments today." She tucked her glasses into the pocket of her lab coat and smiled warmly at Rini. "Let me know if you have any soreness or inflexibility," she said. "It's not easy on the joints to grow so quickly." A sudden chime, and Ami paused to look down at her beeper. "That's my cue," she exclaimed, and quickly strode out the door.

Luna licked a paw. "Pallas and Juno, Ami has also offered to take you two in as housemates."

The two scouts, eyes wide, stared at where the doctor had once been sitting. Pallas pumped a fist victoriously. "Yes!"

Juno crossed her arms. "I still don't want to go to school," she muttered.

Lita smiled. "I thought school was going to be terrible, until I met Bunny and the gang," she said warmly. "I think you'll find that if you're open to it, school can be a lot of fun! Plus," she added mischievously, "My bakery is right around the corner, so you can come visit! And bring friends!" She stood as well, jerking a thumb to the door. "Anyways, now I've got to go as well." She glanced apologetically at Juno. "My little loft is too small for more than just me," she shrugged. "But I'll still be your training coach." Juno nodded, but didn't seem to feel much better.

Lita clapped a hand down on Rini's shoulder, warm, heavy, and comforting. Then the soldier of Jupiter followed the same path as Ami, striding briskly out the door.

Mina reached across the table and tapped Ceres' hand. "I've got space in my apartment set up for you, hon. I won't be there too much, because my music has me traveling, but it'll still be cozy. You guys can hold scout meetings and," her cobalt eyes grew misty, "create strategies and have slumber parties and invite boys over…"

Luna barely muffled a groan.

Raye slid a key across the table to Vesta, who looked at the priestess in shock. Raye smiled. "You'll be with me at the Hikawa Shrine," she said simply. "We could use another miko."

"We?"

"It's me and a guy named Chad."

Vesta quirked an eyebrow. "Are you married or something?" She glanced to Raye's fingers, which were bare.

Mina guffawed as Raye made a face of disgust. "Absolutely not," the fire priestess replied.

"…So he's available, then?"

Rini watched as her scouts were paired with their elder counterparts. Her shoulders sagged, and she twisted the napkin in her lap.

As if reading Rini's mind, Luna said, "Small Lady, the Outers will take care of your training, and your parents too."

"Oh, okay." Rini relaxed. "Wait, Hotaru will be here?" Her posture perked up. School would be bearable if Hotaru was there.

"They will leave Rome after the race this weekend," Luna replied. "I got a message from Haruka this morning."

Mina pumped a fist. "This is perfect!" she cried. "I'll get them to do a concert with me! Two birds with one sword," she said smugly. "Keep November 11 open, everyone," she announced.

Ceres frowned. "Um, isn't it—" She paused when Raye shook her head.

"Ceres, some things will never change," the fire scout said solemnly.

Laughter floated down the halls.

* * *

"The rainforest is dying. The power of the Silver Crystal preserved its life through the freeze, but slowly, we are forgetting how quickly destruction takes its toll. Look at the statistics—right now, we have returned to roughly the same measures regarding deforestation practices, endangered populations, and global warming, as almost an entire millennium prior! Something must be done now."

The tall, dark-haired woman who now addressed King Endymion, Neo-Queen Serenity, and the collection of citizens who comprised the Crystal Council, pointed a finger at the royal couple.

"The mining of crystal material for neo-synthesis is also causing damage to the microhabitats within the rainforest. Certain levels of these mineral compounds are required for the soil to remain fertile. We must determine a more efficient way to access the materials we need. Right now the mineral mining is dangerous and comes at too high an acreage cost."

Neo-Queen Serenity regarded the speaker. Eleanor Canopy, who had been present in every council meeting for the past year, came prepared with boxes of information about the rainforest, and ended her speech about conservation and restoration with the same plea:

"We of the Amazon Jungle Conservation Syndicate request that the King use his Golden Crystal to restore the state of Earth's most beautiful ecosystem."

Her request echoed throughout the chamber, which was an open, circular room, lined with rows of chairs for the Council, a collection of chairs in its center for the visitors, and two central seats, where the King and Queen sat on the same level with the guests. There was a stylus on the table, and a thin sheet of glass. The King took notes on this transparent computer, occasionally jabbing with the stylus throughout the meeting, breaking the silence with tiny pricking noises.

The Queen eyed her husband warily, holding in a yawn. "We would like to do all we can to help maintain the beauty of our planet," she began. Her voice, soft and light, echoed throughout the room. She turned to her husband, uncertain of how to continue.

"Preserving ecological diversity is a priority for the Crystal Council," the King picked up, "And we understand that the rainforest is an integral piece to the conservation puzzle…however, we cannot at this time put the Crystal towards that goal." He placed a hand over his wife's, and continued to regard Eleanor Canopy with a level, unbiased gaze. "We can give your cause other resources." He motioned to an auburn-haired woman who sat among the Crystal Council. "Reika Nishimura is the head of our Environmental Protection Agency, and will sit down with you this week to map out a plan and a budget."

Eleanor Canopy narrowed her eyes. "So there will be no help from the Golden Crystal, then?" she demanded.

The King and Queen said nothing. The King instead scribbled down Reika's name, address, and contact info, then motioned for Canopy to take it.

She stepped up to the table and fisted the paper.

"You're hiding," she hissed, low enough that only the royals would hear. "I know the stories. You used to have so much power, and now it's gone."

The King stood, leaning forward. Eleanor Canopy shrunk back against his imposing height. "You're wrong," he whispered softly. Then, much louder, he said, "We look forward to a successful partnership that protects the natural beauty of our planet's resources."

Canopy bowed, throwing another hateful glance at the Queen, then turned on her heel, striding out of the conference room.

The King settled himself in his seat once again and, ignoring the Queen's wondering eyes, chose instead to _prick prick prick_ the tablet screen. Each jab slightly more forceful than the previous. His jaw muscle tightened as the Queen placed a hand on his wrist.

"And we still can't contact him?" she whispered. "We still can't reach Helios?"

The King nodded his head grimly. "And if anybody knew what was going on, it'd be him."

* * *

Juno let her bag plop down on the stone porch, sighing. "Well, this is the one," she remarked, comparing the mailbox to an address scrawled on her hand. Juno looked dubiously to her sister. "Is this going to be awkward? We barely know each other."

Pallas shrugged nonchalantly. "We're sailor scouts. It's an unbreakable bond. She may as well be our sister, too. Besides," Pallas' blue eyes shone bright, "I want to learn all about computers from her."

Juno flung the duffel over her shoulder again, taking in the gray brick house, its black shutters, and its sky blue door. Ivy crawled up the sides lazily, lending the bungalow a fairy tale appearance. The twilight was fading into night. Juno decisively pushed the doorbell.

Ami, wearing her white doctor's coat over a navy dress, welcomed them with a warm smile. "Hello! I got home from work late, so the place is still a bit of a mess. Come on in!"

She led them on a brief tour of her small, tidy house. Clearly 'messy' by Ami's standards was what the rest of the world knew to be 'spotless'. They walked through a sparse yet cozy living room, where a popular medical mystery series was playing on the TV. As they passed through the dining room, the video cut to an ad for Mina's music.

_Get your copy of Princess V's new album today! Includes the hit single "Fool's Gold", featuring violinist Michiru Kaioh! _Then Mina's voice filled the house, singing, _My stories end before they start/I've drawn my true card/My duty will be my destiny…_

"And this is the kitchen, laundry room, there's a guest bathroom down the hall." Ami was standing with Pallas and Juno in the center of an immaculately clean kitchen. Juno eyed a row of labeled glass jars, filled with various spices. Pallas, hitching her duffel bag over one shoulder, opened a cabinet to reveal Tupperware that had been stacked, color coded, and organized by size and shape.

"Looks great, Doc!" Juno exclaimed. "Gosh, I hope I can keep it clean." She jerked a thumb to her sister. "Pal's a neat one, but I always forget my chores."

Pallas was studying a whiteboard on the fridge now, scrawled with several complex equations and equally complex terms. A marker dangled from the board by a string. She wrinkled her nose and, erasing one of the numbers, quickly wrote in a new figure.

Ami, unaware, giggled. "It will be nice to have roommates," she confessed. She motioned to the Tupperware. "Clearly I have too much time on my hands these days. Here." She took some of the shopping parcels from Pallas and Juno, leading them down the hallway. "Your rooms will be here."

She opened two doors at the end of the hall to reveal two identical rooms, both with plain double beds and little furniture. Only the walls were expressive—one room a deep forest green, the other an icy blue. "It's not homey, but please decorate as you will. I took the liberty of doing the walls, and on your bookshelves you will find the necessary texts for eleventh grade."

Pallas threw her arms around Ami. "Thank you, thank you!" She scampered into her room and began to yank her texts to the floor, quickly creating a pile of open books around herself as she skimmed over them.

Juno set her things down and launched herself onto the bed. "I've never had a double bed before!" She joyfully buried her face in the pillow. "Nap time."

Ami chuckled and left the girls to settle into their new spaces. She adjusted the temperature in the hallway. Making her way through the kitchen, paused before the whiteboard. Ami yelped.

"She solved it!"

The late hours of that night found Dr. Ami Mizuno hunched over the kitchen counter, sandwich in one hand, pencil in the other.

* * *

The two leaders of the elder and younger scout teams dug into Chinese take-out, surrounded by colorful shopping bags.

"I'm glad you're here," Mina said, between large bites of lo mein. "It's been lonely since Art moved to the palace last decade."

Ceres, munching delicately on a piece of broccoli, smiled as she flipped the page of a magazine. "I'm glad to be here," she replied automatically. She raised her eyebrows at a fuzzy tabloid photo of the pop star that currently sat across from her. Mentally, Ceres broke down what the writers of _Crystalpolitan _would say about Mina now: _Princess V loves ramen noodles and vegetables, but watch out! She's clumsy with the chopsticks. The blue bowl that she's eating from is Ceramic Station from last season's "Skylight" collection. She's wearing pajamas from Sociologie and a sweatshirt from Divide. Turn to page 40 to learn more about Princess V's pop star diet! Find out the secret to those fabulous curves!_

Chuckling, Ceres held up the photo of Mina at the park. "Was this last week?" she asked. "Nice shades."

Mina finally paused to swallow (goodness, Ceres thought, her manners were worse than Juno's).

"I was running errands. That photographer always finds me somehow, but I still have no idea what he looks like."

Ceres studied the fine print and read _Photo Taken By: Nolan Peter. _" I was pretty covered up that time, too" Mina added. "Those paparazzi can be so persistent. But," she sighed wistfully, "It's worth it, to be able to do what I love."

Ceres set her chopsticks down, closing the magazine. It was now or never, time to ask what she had been wondering since the Galaxia battle.

"Mina," she began, "Were you able to do the things you loved, even as a sailor scout?"

Ceres would not readily admit this to the team, but she was nervous. She saw the impenetrable bonds that formed between the elder scouts and their queen, and it intimidated her. The leader had a vital role in building this team, in protecting the princess. Would she live up to the expectations? And if she did, would her own dreams die along the way?

Mina's face switched immediately into sharp eyes, straight lips. She twirled a chopstick in her fingers, drew up one knee to her chest. There was a pause as the scout of love searched for words.

"…No," she admitted, finally. "When I became a scout, the things I loved to do were play volleyball, go on dates, and play arcade games."

Ceres stirred her beef and broccoli nervously, watching the brown sauce swirl into the rice.

"But," Mina continued, "through being a scout, I grew to love new things. Like my precious friends, who I'd never had before…abstract things like justice…and I loved to be the one protecting Bunny. To be fulfilling something that my past self couldn't do." She smiled at Ceres.

Ceres broke eye contact, glancing up at the black and white photo gallery on the wall. Mina traveled so many places, she thought idly.

"I don't know if I have that love yet," the pink-haired scout admitted. "I don't know if I feel those bonds yet. With my sisters, yes, of course. With Rini?" Ceres felt like melting into her shoes, but something about Mina's open face created a space for absolute honesty. "With Rini, I have only just met her…we've only just woken up. We're all a little nervous, don't you see?" She fixed a pleading gaze on Mina—on Sailor Venus. "We want to know that giving up our dreams will be worth it."

_Can scouts be fired?_

Mina laughed.

"I've felt the same way!" she exclaimed. "Often. Choosing duty over love is not easy." Ceres was dumbstruck. The goddess of love breezed into the kitchen, whistling a song as she loaded the dishwasher.

Ceres took another bite of her dinner, considering Mina's words. She looked up at the photos—Venice, Paris, London, New York, Beijing…all places she wanted to travel and see. Ceres had been stuck for so long, asleep in the Amazon. Her dream was to travel the world, write for a magazine.

Mina waited thousands of years to follow her own path. How long would she herself be waiting?

Ceres thought of the day she and her sisters awoke. She remembered kneeling before Neo-Queen Serenity, kneeling before a young Princess Lady Serenity. She remembered the spark in her heart, how good it felt to be given a purpose—to no longer be a shell controlled by Zirconia. Could that spark of purpose be united with a true friendship…true sisterhood, like what Mina and Bunny shared? That would be worth putting her dreams on hold.

_We may not be best friends yet, Princess,_ Ceres thought, _but I will protect you, no matter what. And like Mina says, the rest will fall into place. I will show you, and everyone else, that I am right for the job._

* * *

"Are you sure they're what we need?" Astraea crossed her arms, skeptical of the figures slumped against the wall of the temple. Not even a mile away, men and women had been digging holes into the earth. She had watched for several days as they hauled away the precious inner pieces of her jungle. Her own soul, and the soul of her sisters, had been sealed away within the precious stones that men now hauled away. Who was to say that they weren't stealing the protectors of this land? For where the diggers came, the jungle died. They salted the soil with their very presence, and the stars spoke to Astraea of the jungle's pain.

So when Hippolyta asked for bodies, Astraea was happy to oblige. But the humans put up so little fight, that she was beginning to wonder what exactly her mother meant to accomplish. "I thought we were focusing on obtaining the Golden Crystal." Astraea twisted a bronze bangle around her wrist nervously.

Hippolyta, in her red dress and dark curls, waved a hand over the edge of the gold-glowing spring, causing a pillar of water to rise up and clarify. The golden water displayed an image: Two regal figures, one woman and one man, in white dress and violet suit, holding two scepters that shone with the brightest, clearest power Astraea had ever seen. It made something flip flop in her heart.

The scene switched to a large crystal edifice, a collection of structures that were foreign to Astraea. "What is it?" she asked, awe-struck by the enormous amount of temples.

"Crystal Tokyo," Hippolyta replied. "A city that is taking our jungle's energy. The King and Queen have the crystal power we need. That power is allowing the people to live forever." She waved her hand at the slumped bodies. "These people are all over 700, 800 years old."

Astraea's eyes widened as Hippolyta cackled.

"Don't look so shocked, dear, you're hardly young yourself. Sleeping like a genie in that marble." The woman fluttered her hand once again, and the pillar of water dropped with a splash. Hippolyta turned to the collected diggers. "The people of Crystal Tokyo contain enough memories to give our jungle all the energy it needs. We must gather the energy of Crystal Tokyo's memories. Only then will we be strong enough to attack the wielder of the Golden Crystal."

She stretched her arm toward the kidnapped. A jolt of red lightning shot through each person's heart. Astraea watched as the bodies slowly opened their eyes, standing still and straight—hypnotized.

"Go." Hippolyta's voice hissed in the silence of the temple. "Gather energy from the people of Crystal Tokyo."

A crimson fog surrounded the people, and their clothes melted away as they became dressed in unusual grey clothes, odd shoes with points on the women's feet, strange bits of cloth around the necks of the men. Astraea wrinkled her nose at the discomfort apparent in the outfits.

The red fog grew, and with a loud rumble, the collection of people had disappeared.

"Where are they now?" Astraea asked, unable to hide the shock in her voice at their sudden departure.

"Collecting energy." Hippolyta chucked. "And now you, my little star, are free to search for your treacherous sisters. Find them," her eyes glowed yellow, "and punish them."

* * *

Bags of old clothing lined the door, ready to be given away. Fresh school supplies were stacked on her desk. New clothes hung in her closet, and after setting the last pair of shorts in the drawer, Rini flopped onto her large white bed. She studied the plastic stars on her ceiling and sighed.

"Something wrong, princess?" Diana asked, curled up in a basket nearby.

"It's a lot to take in," Rini admitted. "For the first time in my life, the future seems very uncertain." She stood up again and walked into her closet, running her fingers over the sleeves of her new shirts. "Living in the past, I've always known what would be coming next. But this is different."

Diana leapt onto the dresser, daintily licking one paw. "Sometimes the unknown is better than the familiar," she offered between licks.

Rini paused. "Maybe. I just can't settle down about it," she murmured. "That crazy dream." It had been the voice of a man, a woman, a child, so many voices together as one. "Find the stars? The stars are in the sky!" She waved an arm, and Diana nodded in agreement.

"Have you had such a weird dream before, Rini?" asked the cat.

Rini paused, considering. "No, this is the first one…but—" she lurched towards her dresser and yanked open the top drawer, tossing aside several pairs of socks. She withdrew a small red box, and clicked it open to reveal a delicate crystal bell. "I used to be pretty in touch with my dreams."

Her fingers shook as she separated the bell from its box. She cupped it gently in her hands, settling down on the edge of her bed.

_Helios, I'll see you ?_

_Of course, maiden._ _I'll be looking forward to it._

_Helios!_ _It's a promise!_

Rini closed her eyes, swallowing against the sudden thickness in her throat. She held the bell up to her ear, trying to locate even the faintest ring.

All was silent.

Rini let out a breath that she didn't realize was held.

Diana hopped up on the bed, giving the pink-haired lady a pitying glance. She settled into her pillow.

"Twinkle Yell," Rini whispered, lips against the glass curve of the crystal bell. "Twinkle Yell," she repeated, a breathless whisper.

The sun was setting behind her, casting an orange glow over the window.

"Twinkle Yell. Twinkle yell."

No one was there to reply.

* * *

**8 Acres East**


	3. Chapter 3

**To Be A Lady**

**Chapter 3**

* * *

The next morning, Rini crept into the kitchens with the morning sun. Luna P floated behind, bobbing midair like a balloon. Rini snatched two cups a tray of chocolate croissants. She rummaged around the cupboards before pulling forth a large thermos, which she filled with coffee. That, too, went on the tray. Trailed by Luna P, she carried her harvest down the halls, past the ballroom, up the steps to the south wing, and down a dark hallway that seemed to dead end.

A faint glimmer revealed two intricately carved doors. Luna P pressed against Rini's shoulder with a small _peep_!

"I'm going, I'm going." Rini rested her hand on a bronze handle, took in a breath, and pushed.

The smell of the timeless fog overwhelmed her senses. Like cinnamon, it too was distinctively spicy, a fragrant incense. It took Rini back to how Setsuna lit candles in her house all the time, trying to emulate its scent. So many times, she and Rini and Hotaru had watched movies by candlelight, swapping secrets over popcorn in the past.

Sailor Pluto turned her gaze from the expanse of fog. Her mouth dropped. "Small Lady!" she gasped.

Rini blushed, scowling a little bit. "I grew up," she offered her stunned friend.

The sound of the rolling fog, like ocean waves, filled the space. Luna P rocketed around the space, buzzing and beeping frenetically. Sailor Pluto chuckled. "I've missed you too, Luna P!"

Rini held out the mugs. "I brought breakfast," she said.

Pluto smiled. "I didn't realize it was morning."

Rini giggled. "Well, it is." She strode over and handed off a cup to Pluto, then turned to her toy. "Luna P, chairs!"

The pointy-eared sphere began to spin rapidly, eliciting a robotic "Abracadabra poof!"

Two white chairs and a small table were left in the wake of a pink and sparkly dust.

Pluto smiled, soft and small. Her green hair swished as she sank into a chair opposite Rini, sipping the coffee with a small sigh of satisfaction. "So you grew," Pluto repeated. "You look very much like the lady you dreamt of becoming." Wine-colored eyes glimmered with pride.

Rini began to describe the details from her most recent trip to the past, beginning with the storms in Crystal Tokyo, the bodies of the scouts without their star seeds, and the awakening of her sailor quartet. By the time Rini had described her encounter with Sailor Cosmos, the croissants were crumbs.

Pluto, an attentive listener, let one arm hang behind the chair, eyes fixed on a distant point, fist under her chin. "So you disappeared after the King fell into the abyss. Then Sailor Cosmos awakened new scout powers in you." Rini could see the gears cranking in her friend's mind. "…Interesting," the scout murmured.

"I don't know what they are. 'Joining paths' and 'harmonizing'…I sang in the shower this morning, and trust me, there wasn't any great musicality to that." Rini sipped the last of the coffee in her mug. "I don't even know what I can do yet. " She laughed, short and breathless. "Not to mention the fact that my own scout team is a lot closer to each other than to me."

Pluto drummed her fingers against the table as Luna P snuggled into her lap. "That will change, with time," she said firmly.

Rini sighed. "Let's hope."

She reached out towards the thermos, delicately screwing off the lid and pouring the last of the liquid evenly between both cups.

"Hey, 'Etsy, um, do you have a key to Elysian?" Rini set the thermos down, avoiding the gaze of her friend.

Pluto raised an eyebrow perceptively. "Ah, the real reason you came," she remarked playfully.

Rini scowled. "Do you or don't you?"

Sailor Pluto calmly unclasped the key belt from around her dark pleated skirt. She pinched each key between thumb and forefinger.

"4th Dimension Time Travel Key."

"Old Apartment Key."

"Crystal Tokyo Palace Key."

"Interplanetary Space Travel Key."

"Chronos Key, for consultation with Father."

"The Subaru."

Rini's heart dropped further into her stomach with each designation. Pluto's eyes were too understanding.

Rini wilted under the pity.

The two girls stood, allowing the furniture to dissolve once more into a fine, glitter dust. Pluto laid a hand gently on Rini's shoulder.

Rini (inches taller, centuries old, but a child still) wrinkled her nose, cheeks pink. "I just want to visit my friend, is all. I have a promise to keep. It's not a big deal." Rini knew, though, that Pluto knew it was. She pressed on, "It just seems unfair that he's stuck there, and I can't visit, even though Papa _knows_ it's probably fine…"

Sailor Pluto fingered her garnet rod. "I made a promise to guard this place," she said. "Because of this, I have limitations." She met Rini's glinting ruby eyes. "Helios made a promise to Elysian. His duties also incur certain boundaries."

Rini cringed as Pluto continued. "It is not unlike the expectations on a princess and sailor scout. You made promises to this planet, and you must prioritize accordingly. Especially now, as an awakened scout."

Rini's lips thinned, and she ran a finger along the curved lines of Luna P's cold metal ears. "Thank you, Setsuna." She tucked the thermos under an arm, hooking a pinky through the mug handles. "All things happen in time, right?" She chuckled softly, distantly. "Right now, I need to keep on growing and get stronger, closer to my team."

Sailor Pluto softened her posture, recognizing the sad determination that seemed uniquely Rini's.

"Watching from afar is a kind of love too, right?" Rini managed a wink at her friend.

Sailor Pluto pulled Rini into a warm, reassuring hug.

"In my experience, Princess Lady, love is the right key to pass through any threshold." She stepped away and knelt before her princess. "I'm sorry I do not have a key. I will try to consider other possibilities."

Rini, who once stood eye level with a kneeling Sailor Pluto, could only see the loose bun of green hair. The pink-haired lady knelt down, mirroring Sailor Pluto, and took her hand gently. "Don't ever bow to me again, Puu. No matter how tall I grow. Mama might be my unreachable idol, but you've always been my one role model."

Sailor Pluto's eyes shone, and her face flushed with an expression Rini had never seen before. "Thank you, Rini," she whispered.

Rini stood, breaking the moment, and waved to Luna P. "Come on, silly thing!" She scampered to the time gate and threw a frenzied wave back to Sailor Pluto. "Next time I'll bring friends!"

With that, the doors closed. And as Rini returned down the hall—no closer to Elysian, but less worried about what lay ahead—she couldn't shake off the lonely eyes of her best friend.

* * *

The legendary Sailor Jupiter gently shut the screen of her laptop, signing off from contact with her power guardian, who held down the fort on Io Castle. All clear in her corner of space.

Lita remained on Earth, the planet she truly preferred as home. But she could not deny the intense pride and peculiar longing she felt at the sight of her castle in silhouette against the red spot. It was an emotion like America might feel towards the Statue of Liberty, or the French for their Eiffel Tower. But an icon of a homeland was just a symbol, pointing to the deeper reality of being truly home. Nobody lived at the Eiffel Tower, and likewise, she couldn't live in Io Castle. Earth was home. Earth smelled like home.

And home smelled like roses, tulips, hydrangeas, white lilies (stocked especially for Raye), magnolia, ferns, cupcakes, scones, muffins, honey wheat, cappuccinos... Lita fingered through a stack of bills before leaving them waiting on her desk, shoving open the stubborn office door and making her way through the kitchen to the front counter, where a slew of customers were waiting already.

She tuned out the chime of the cash register, rearranging baked goods and exchanging pleasantries distractedly. Her thoughts, though far from her work, always strayed towards those closest to her heart. Chief priestess at the Hikawa Shrine. Physician. Pop idol. Herself, florist baker. Each of them had achieved those dreams that had once seemed so far away. Even Haruka and Michiru were more invested in their hobbies on Earth, indulging in frequent trips despite remaining in active duty.

Maybe it was the arrival of Ceres this morning breezing through on her way to meet up with Pallas, but Lita's mind was back in the days of the Crown Arcade, when she was the scout-in-training and Andrew was the one serving food. Days were not as simple, but days were not as boring. Her business was established, and life had fallen into a series of routines that could become numbing.

This princess of Jupiter needed a shock to her system. Especially, with new sailor scouts about to take the reins, she yearned to find something (or someone, she thought wistfully) that would spark some change in the daily grind. She missed fighting. She missed using her powers. She missed the side of herself that felt so real and substantial when held up against her romantic dreams of opening a café.

_Ah, but you forget your luck. You have been able to live two lives. Lita: strong and a great cook. _

The chimes hung by the door were constantly ringing, as the mid-morning lull was ending. Lita's smile was painted on her face, while the gears in her head were planning out the next steps of the day. Bills mailed. Sizzling paninis and fresh salads to prep. After lunch, it would be time to close, until opening again for the after-dinner hours.

"Hello, Lita!"

"Yo! Mornin', sir!" Lita's smile grew as the mailman set a large stack on her counter. "Wonderful! The order forms!"

"You'll be getting those Amazon plants soon enough!" The postman eyed one of the cake displays longingly. "Red velvet again today?"

Lita giggled. "You know I make it just for you, Enzo. No charge." She ducked under the counter, then surfaced again with a small takeout box.

"Young lady, you are the highlight of my route!" The postman tipped his hat and scurried out the door.

As the café emptied for a precious moment, Lita flitted to the back of the kitchen with her mail, flipping through with enthusiasm. She at last pulled out one catalogue from the stack, confusiong flitting across her face.

"What's this? Oh, wow!" Featured on the cover were several ornate golden-yellow plants. Their stems were a curious mixture of colors, and the edges of the petals appeared dipped in a vibrant red. The caption read **Amazon Jungle Blooms ½ Price Special**.

No other plants that she sold were so colorful. "Mina would love these." Lita picked up a pen and began to mark through pages, pausing only when the bells of _Flour Petal_ rang out once more.

* * *

_Twinkle Yell…_

_Twinkle Yell…Twinkle Yell…_

Golden eyes blinked open against blinding sunlight. Helios raised an arm to shade his face, but realized, in a sudden rush of pain, that any movement sent his body into unbearable agony. The arm fell and the eyes closed against the light. "M-m-maiden…Daph…Perseph…" His voice cracked, and his chapped lips stung. His throat ached for water.

Where were the shrine maidens?

_What happened, what happened, think back—_

The Prince was dead. It had been so quick—one minute kneeling before the altar that had been granting the precious pieces of Earth's story. The altar, and its pure blue fire, glowing against the lavender sky of twilight.

And then, Daphne rushing in, chased in by a storm of flower petals rapidly dying…Persephone frozen in horror on the other side of the temple. Winter fell over Elysian, deadly and rapid. And Helios fell backwards, having succumbed to the dissolution of his body.

These images, so vivid, so fresh, still felt as old as eons, millennia. How long had he been asleep? And what brought him back?

"High Priest Helios Evangelos."

A calm, resonant voice filled his ears, cleared his head. The silhouette of two heart-shaped buns, two bright eyes, towered over his body. The silky edge of the woman's cape draped against his forehead as she leaned over, smiling brightly. She held a bundle in her arms. Wings decorated her sailor uniform, and Helios felt just from the immediacy of her presence that he had the strength to stand.

What he saw almost brought him back to the ground.

Elysian had become a wasteland. The altar room, once the enclosed heart of the castle, was open to the elements—all walls and columns crumbled. The roses were black, snarled thorns on a gray, dead grass. Silver ashes were spitting across the blue marble stones, swirling away in the chilly wind that cut through Helios' bones.

The sacred fire was gone. Taken with it, his ties to the Earth, to visions of the Earth, to communications with the royal family. He tried to seek out a sense of the Prince—nothing. Helios felt a pinch behind his nose; prickling in his eyes.

_Twinkle Yell…_

Helios whirled around, looking desperately for that trace of a voice on the wind, and heard nothing.

A bright speck of white, and straggled strands of blue hair alerted him to the unconscious Daphne. Farther away lay Persephone, partially covered in rubble. "The shrine maidens!" Helios lunged forward, but a hand on his chest stopped him. The mysterious senshi. She shifted the bundle onto one arm, and Helios swore he saw it move.

The mysterious girl, with hair the color of a twilight sky, stilled his movement, looking straight into the eyes of the priest. "Who are you?" he demanded. His eyes sought out his two friends once more, straining for any hint of movement. "What star do you protect, sailor scout?"

"Elysian will return," she said solemnly. "The Prince lives."

"I asked, who are you?" Helios repeated, indignant. He took a step back, drawing higher and turning his head slightly, suspiciously.

"I am called Sailor Cosmos."

The priest's countenance changed from one of impatience to reverent awe, and he dropped to one knee. "I didn't know…I didn't recognize you."

Sailor Cosmos smiled softly. "Yes, the last we crossed paths was very long ago, dear Helios."

Helios had a fist over his heart, nodding. "What news do you bring this time?"

Sailor Cosmos stepped forward, placing the small bundle carefully in Helios' arms. It was heavier—and _squirmier_—than Helios had anticipated.

One of the blankets shifted, and suddenly Helios was staring into the dark brown eyes of a baby boy. A symbol like a four-leaf clover glowed on the baby's forehead, and a thatch of brown hair curled down over his cheeks.

Helios' jaw dropped and he jerked his head back up to Sailor Cosmos. "Now hang on just one second—"

Sailor Cosmos raised a gloved hand high above her head, such that it appeared to slice straight through the low crescent moon. Her jeweled scepter glimmered in the darkness of the wasted Elysian.

"The Golden Kingdom is restored by Sailor Moon's sacrifice. King Endymion lives, and Crystal Tokyo will come to pass. High Priest, I grant you the healing powers to rebuild Elysion. Its full glory is imminent. And I give you the shielding powers of dreamlight, born of Sailor Moon's sacrifice. Use it well. The Lord of Elysion approaches."

A thin trail of blue light traveled around the priest, and he shuddered at the feeling of new power. The baby boy mewled softly, curling a fist around one of the tassles (the pesky tassles) on his priestly robes. Helios sighed reluctantly, absorbing Sailor Cosmos' words. So Elysian would be alright. That was fine and good, but…"What of Small Lady?" he asked.

Sailor Cosmos rested both hands on her scepter, leaning against its solidity. "Ah, yes, the maiden whose voice brings you back."

Helios nodded. "Every time," he murmured. A memory of pink hair and persistence ghosted through his mind. _Maiden with a beautiful dream._

Sailor Cosmos chuckled merrily. "You'll see her again soon."

Helios shifted the baby in his arms, rolling his eyes at her brevity, and proceeded to ask, "And what about this young man?"

Here Sailor Cosmos grew serious once more. "His planet was destroyed. He needs a home, a name."

The symbol intrigued Helios. "Has he any powers?"

Cosmos smiled. "I think you'll find him a worthy apprentice." With that, she disappeared in a wave of lilac smoke.

Helios coughed against its cloying scent, disrupting the slumber of the little boy. He began to wail and shriek.

The high priest closed his eyes, willing all of the patience his position required into this moment. He opened his gaze once more to see Daphne and Persephone limping over to him…he saw the ruins of Elysian, waiting to be fixed, so that once more he could commune with the Earth.

He stood up, hoisting the crying baby up onto one shoulder, and began patting its back, which he had really only seen Ikkuko-mama do once when a friend brought an infant to the Tsukino household. He'd had a vision of Neo-Queen Serenity holding Rini too, much in the same way. But, having no memories of his own childhood, his own parents, his own existence beyond this temple, Helios was at a loss for how the next years would play out.

"Well, Virgil Evangelos," he murmured, naming the newest member of Elysian, "There is much to be done here."

* * *

Hotaru's eyes shot open. The loud hotel air conditioning skidded to a stop as she rose from the covers, wandering into the bathroom for a glass of water. She checked the time—five minutes until the alarm went off.

"I hate it when I do that," she muttered under her breath.

The bathroom was cramped, especially now that she was grown. Hotaru's elbow hit the doorframe as she filled the glass, and she hissed.

As she sipped the water, she began to bag up toothbrushes, toothpaste, make-up (mostly Michiru's), shampoo, conditioner.

The light in the entryway came on, and Haruka's face appeared in the bathroom mirror.

"Good morning, sunshine," she smirked. "Are you this ready to leave Italy?"

Hotaru stilled, one hand on the travel kit, the other on a bottle of coconut lime body wash (Haruka's). "Not ready to leave Italy, but I am ready to see Rini." She couldn't still the pounding in her heart, having awoken from sleep with a sense of foreboding. "To begin protecting."

Haruka nodded in understanding. She lifted a watch from the counter, rubbing its face. "We leave in two hours," she said. "I'll wake Michiru."

* * *

**8 Acres East**


	4. Chapter 4

**To Be A Lady**

**Chapter 3**

_One Week Later_

* * *

"It's not easy to be a scout."

"You will experience horrible, life-threatening situations."

"Things that would make even the strongest stomachs turn."

"You will be fighting for your life. For the life of your precious princess."

Hotaru coughed delicately. "Um, Haruka-papa, can you just hand out the pens already?" Beside her, Rini smothered a giggle.

King Endymion had instructed the scouts to practice in the basement beneath the palace, which was cavernous and bare. In the construction of the palace, Mina and Luna had worked together to ensure that this place was well-concealed and lined with barriers of magic. The scouts would be able to train without fear of harm or interruption.

Now, the six girls stood in a line before Haruka and Michiru. The outer scouts had arrived that morning, sputtering up to the Crystal Palace on two mopeds, Michiru's hair streaming in the wind like an ocean wave. ("Picked them up in Italy," Haruka said breezily, as Michiru dismounted from the seat behind her. Ever since they had arrived in Crystal Tokyo, they were constantly talking about Italy.)

For a moment, Rini hadn't recognized the owner of the other moped, until Hotaru pulled off the shiny black helmet to reveal her dark violet eyes. Hotaru had quickly explained her own sudden growth spurt, and in the minutes of introduction for the outers and the quartet, she and Rini compared heights (Rini towered over Hotaru), joint pains (minimal, but still there), and hair lengths ("Instead of a haircut, they bought me a moped," Hotaru had grumbled. " And now I look like Mistress 9." But Mina made quick work of the hair soon after, and now Hotaru, with chin-length locks, resembled a slightly taller version of her younger self).

Decades ago, Haruka and Michiru had purchased a house in the same area as Ami. They rarely lived there, due to the nature of their work (and responsibilities to their planets). Likewise, Hotaru had been traveling throughout the solar system as an outer scout, and time passed differently in space.

Many times, Rini had hidden away in that house, hopping on the transit and breaking in like a convict on the run. (Though after Haruka caught her, Rini was given a key.) Rini was happy to know that the empty house, which was once her haven from the prying eyes of the world, would be full once more with friends.

Haruka, who had been pacing up and down the row of girls like a general would pace before an army, paused in her speech at the request of her daughter. Michiru stepped forward, holding four of the henshin wands. She handed one to each of the girls in turn with a smile. "To replace what was lost in the cauldron," she said. She turned to Ceres first, who accepted her pink pen with a small smile and a quiet "thank you." The trapeze artist and leader of the scouts closed a fist around the magical item and sighed.

Pallas tucked her light blue pen into the pocket of her navy blue skirt and folded her hands expectantly behind her back. "This is absolutely thrilling!" she exclaimed.

Juno examined her green pen with ferocious focus. "Are we to have new powers, then, too?" she asked.

The symbol on each pen intrigued Rini. Protectors of the solar asteroids, her scouts did not have a unique planet symbol as the elder senshi did. Instead, each pen contained a symbol that resembled a star, but the shape was left open, unfinished.

Vesta tossed her red pen high in the air, snatching it back again with relish. "Only one way to find out," she answered Juno. "Let's transform."

Rini pulled her own transformation item from her pocket—the heart-shaped brooch. Nestled inside was the Pink Moon Crystal, whose power she felt constantly thrumming within her heart like some might hear a buzzing in their ear.

Next to her, Hotaru pulled out her own purple transformation pen.

Haruka shrugged her shoulders. "Well, then, enough of the talk. Everyone, transform, and let's begin."

"CERES STAR POWER!"

"VESTA STAR POWER!"

"JUNO STAR POWER!"

"PALLAS STAR POWER!"

"SATURN CRYSTAL POWER!"

"NEPTUNE CRYSTAL POWER!"

"URANUS CRYSTAL POWER!"

"PINK MOON CRYSTAL POWER!"

Rini tugged at the pale pink skirt of her uniform. "They feel even shorter when you're tall," she groaned. Sailor Pallas was eyeing the staff in Rini's hand.

Sailor Vesta crossed her gloved arms with a '_hmph'_. "How's it you get planet crystals and we don't?"

" You mean '_have'_," Michiru corrected.

Sailor Saturn flicked her glaive, and its blade glinted against the fluorescent lights of the basement. "You'll get one, just not yet."

Sailor Juno cracked her knuckles. "When do we get it?"

Sailor Neptune adjusted her hair in the talisman mirror. "It's just part of growing as a team."

Sailor Uranus stepped forward, boots pounding against the hard concrete floor. She knelt before Rini, much to the shock of the princess. "Crown Princess Lady Serenity—Sailor Lady Moon," she declared. "I pledge my loyalty to you and your team."

Sailor Neptune knelt as well, a small smile playing on her glossed lips. "Our power to you, Sailor Lady Moon."

Sailor Saturn clasped Rini's hand with a warm smile. "Me too, Rin."

Sailor Ceres stepped forward, placing a hand lightly on Rini's shoulder. "Let's begin, shall we?"

A harsh wind began to fill the room. Sailor Uranus stepped away, and her eyes began to glow a bright yellow. "Alright then, scouts! Get in position!"

Sailor Lady Moon clutched her staff, nodding to Sailor Ceres beside her. "Here we go."

* * *

Twilight had fallen over Crystal Tokyo, and the streets were clear. Eleanor Canopy, a tall woman in tall heels, fumed as she strode down the sidewalk. She clutched a stack of papers in her fist and, pausing at a newsstand, stuffed them into a briefcase. She slammed her change onto the small countertop, yanking a magazine from the stand. Reika Nishimura's face was on the cover, overlaid with a caption that read: _Taking Conservation Further: How Synthetic Crystal Power Preserves Our Land_.

"She knows nothing! She does nothing!" Eleanor Canopy waved the floppy magazine in the cashier's leathery face. The cashier did not respond. The frenetic woman marched away.

Eleanor Canopy was passionate about her work. Eleanor Canopy was the rainforest's number one advocate. Eleanor Canopy was right, and the world was wrong.

Or, at least, that was what Eleanor Canopy thought.

And if the King of Crystal Tokyo couldn't buck up and use the Golden Crystal, she would have to find another way to get that power. Reika Nishimura was part of a bureaucracy that moved too slow. She had offered a meager budget and a timeline devoid of urgency. The Amazon Jungle Conservation Syndicate (of which Eleanor Canopy was the founder and executive director) required more.

Suddenly Eleanor, absorbed in her magazine and her dark thoughts, collided with a woman in a grey suit, who had been walking in the opposite direction.

"Watch yourself!" Eleanor snarled, lashing out against the injustice in her life. A wide open sidewalk, and this bimbo had plowed straight into her.

The woman smiled without a word. Her smile was vacant, a cold group of teeth. Her eyes appeared flat, glassy. Eleanor shrank back, suddenly unsure.

The woman's head shifted, as though someone were whispering into her ear. She still hadn't uttered a sound, and as Eleanor bent down to retrieve the last of the papers she had dropped in the collision, she couldn't escape the feeling that now was a narrowing window for her only chance to run.

Suddenly the woman's hands lashed out, and caught Eleanor by the throat. Eyes that had once seemed dead now flickered with an unnatural yellow energy. They bored into the spectacled gaze of the dark-haired conservationist.

"_Energy….give your energy to Hippolyta…"_

The suitcase and the magazine both fell to the ground. The pages of the journal fluttered in the wind, whipping open until Reika Nishimura's face tumbled down the street.

By the lamplight, one might have seen the changing body of the businesswoman, whose suit shredded away as she shifted into a menacing blue creature. One might have seen the wilting shadow of Eleanor Canopy, whose willowy body spasmed, then slumped to the earth.

The woman cradled a golden orb between her hands. Her eyes glowed yellow, and the sky opened, swallowed her whole.

A sinister laugh in the night. A lamplight fluttered, sputtered, sparked—and all was dark.

* * *

With a heavy sigh, Dr. Ittou Asanuma fished the keys to his office from a brown leather satchel. He cast a glance down the hall, where a sliver of light emerged from Dr. Stone's door. "At least I'm not the last one tonight," he said to himself. He hitched the manila folder, brimming with midterms, high up under his armpit. The professor pulled the knob shut and turned the key in the lock. "Don't work to hard, Zoy!" he called down the hall. The response was an utterance somewhere between a hum and a grunt, which Asanuma interpreted as the neuroscientist's goodbye.

The university was a ten-minute walk from his bus stop, and Asanuma was delighted by the fact that his route ran by some old haunts; namely, the arcade—which, for sentimental reasons to be sure, had remained largely unchanged. There had been a period of time, in the 2300's, where historians were preoccupied with preserving the history of the royal family and their senshi.

_If only they knew their queen was once a grade-F student with the high score on the Sailor V game_, Asanuma thought affectionately.

Farther down the block, the door to Lita's bakery clanged open and shut as a last-minute customer scurried off down the sidewalk, which was largely deserted. Asanuma smiled happily, eager to pop in and visit an old friend. He stepped off the curb and—

"Oh, sorry!"

He collided with a business man in a gray suit and glasses. Papers flew everywhere, a briefcase hit the ground with a _thwump. _Asanuma picked up the briefcase, handing it back to the man in question, who had yet to budge or speak. The suitcase was suspiciously light.

"Sorry, sir…" Asanuma watched the traffic signal count down 10, 9, 8, 7…

Beneath the sunglasses, the man's eyes began to glow.

6, 5, 4

"_Your energy…your memories…"_

3, 2, 1

Dr. Asanuma crumpled to the ground, lifeless. His body rested limply on the curb, arm spilling into the gutter.

Papers scattered in the wind.

The door to _Flour Petal_ chimed once more.

"Asanuma!"

* * *

Pallas' finger twitched incessantly over the remote.

"Pick one," Juno pleaded. "Just one." She was stretched out on the sleek leather couch, sinking into the brown cushions, while Pallas perched at the very edge of a chair upholstered in china blue.

The TV above the fireplace continued to flicker and click in confused soundbits.

The green-haired scout threw an arm across her eyes with a dramatic sigh. "Nevermind, I'll just sleep."

Pallas finally clicked the TV off, throwing the remote down with disdain. "There's nothing on," she announced. She lifted herself from the chair and settled against a wall, with her back on the floor and her legs flush with the wall in a ballerina stretch. Her toe brushed against the sleek wooden frame of a large painting, knocking it slightly askew.

The room was now upside down in her vision. Pallas craned her neck and watched an upside down Juno rummage through her purse, finally withdrawing the senshi transformation pen. "What are you doing?"

Juno ran a finger along the sleek emerald handle of the wand. "Just looking," she mumbled. A pause, and then, "What did you think about today?"

Pallas studied the white plaster nubs that covered the ceiling. In her mind's eye, she saw her little raindrops leaking away in the face of Deep Submerge. She could still hear the ringing clatter of Juno's nunchucks against the ground, Haruka's voice barking out their tactical errors. She could hear the frustration in Ceres' voice trying to coax her flower petals into full strength.

She wanted to say, no wonder Zirconia stole our minds. No wonder Galaxia took us down so quickly…scratch it, not even Galaxia herself, but one of her obscure non-scout scouts.

"I think…I think it was great! We're getting stronger!" But the damage was done by her hesitation to answer. Pallas winced at Juno's humorless laugh.

"You don't have to act happy in front of family."

"But—"

The scrape of a key in the door interrupted her response. The last traces of sunlight followed Ami into the room before she shut the door firmly behind. "Hello girls," she murmured politely.

Juno waved lazily from the couch.

Pallas could have narrated the scene with closed eyes. The _thump_ was Ami placing her briefcase and lab coat on the antique chair by the door. The _cling_ was Ami hanging her keys on the hook by the door. The _scuffle-fwump_ _bmp bmp _was Ami removing her shoes and walking down the hall.

"Hi Ami!" Pallas gushed. She playfully extended an arm, grasping the doctor's slender ankle. Ami stared down quizzically at her apprentice scout, who had let her legs split down the wall into an awkward-looking stretch.

"What are you doing?"

"Be glad she's in pants this time," Juno called from the couch. "Last night she did her stretches in a skirt."

"Please, we're all family here," Pallas retorted.

Ami raised an eyebrow, then delicately pulled her foot from Pallas' grip. "Do we like fish for dinner?"

Pallas gave a thumbs up, then rolled away from the wall, hitting the edge of the coffee table, shaking its occupants. Juno snatched up a mug before it could fall to the floor. "I'll make some rice," she said, rising from her rest and carrying the mug into the kitchen.

Ami turned to the other scout. "Can you handle the vegetables?"

Pallas nodded. "We're out, though. I'll run to the corner and get some now." She pulled her purse from the chair and yanked open the door. "Oh!"

Lita, sweaty and breathless, stood on their porch, one arm poised to knock. The other arm was wrapped around the limp body of a slim young man. The Jupiter princess collapsed against the door frame, and Pallas lifted the other side of the man, drawing them both into the house. Juno peeked into the room, eyes narrowed, then disappeared into the kitchen once more.

"He just—went down—I felt it happen—"

"Asanuma!" Ami darted over as they laid his body on the couch. "What happened?" she demanded.

Lita collapsed into a chair. "I don't know. But you were closest…I panicked." Juno returned with two cups of water, one for Lita and one for the man, just in case.

"Who is he?" Juno asked, studying the lanky arms and sand-colored hair. She reached out a hand to touch his wrist gently, just once, before pulling it away.

Lita watched her hand. "He's like a brother to me."

Pallas set a medical bag next to Ami, whose eyes were closed as she tried to locate a pulse. "Faint, but there. Breathing is shallow, but steady." The doctor rummaged through the bag. She pulled a thermometer, a flashlight, and began the practiced motions of a physician in a check-up.

"I don't think this is a typical collapse case," Lita said. "I felt…a unique energy signature just before I found him. A dark energy signature," she clarified. Her eyes grew distant. "Something we haven't seen in…"

"Almost nine hundred and fifty years," Ami finished grimly. She turned to Pallas. "Your training couldn't have started at a better time."

Pallas locked eyes with Juno. Beneath the green-haired girl's tough, no nonsense exterior, there was the barest flicker of fear, as sharp and fine as a wire. And her own heart, as she studied the pale countenance of Lita's friend, was an anxious staccato.

* * *

The fire flickered, casting odd shadows against the wooden paneled walls of the room. All was dark but for the stark white of Raye's shirt against the brightness of the flames. Sparks popped, and flecks of blue danced near the coals. All was still.

Raye's hands, palm to palm, were pressed against her lips. Her eyes were shut, her face blank. The only noise was the small and steady _tick tick tick_ of her wristwatch.

Suddenly the sliding door lurched open, with a crash that elicited a deadly shriek from the priestess.

"What the—"

"_I'm late I'm late I'm late I'm late!_" Vesta, red hair flowing down her back, yanked on a navy button-down as she ran, barefoot, through the meditation room. "Where THE HELL is my bookbag?!" She quickly bundled her crimson locks into a sloppy ponytail as she scoured each cabinet on the far wall. "Where is it? Where is it? Oh, f—" Her last word was cut off as she bounded out the door, back down the hallway to her room.

Raye sighed, eyeing the flames with disdain. "You couldn't have warned me?" she muttered to the hearth. The priestess readjusted her robes and stood, walking calmly down the hall to the kitchen. Chad, in an apron, was casually flipping an omelet, whistling to himself.

"Have you seen Vesta's bookbag?" Raye asked, filling a teapot with water.

"It's on the roof," Chad answered, pride evident. "And I hung her weird hair cuffs in the trees."

Raye rolled her eyes as she cut on the stovetop, then selected a mug and teabag from the cabinet. "Of all days, you pick her first day of high school?"

Chad bristled. "Were you not there when she put _glitter _in my _shampoo_?"

"Honestly, Chad, you're 956 years old."

"Well, I stopped aging at 28."

Raye poured her tea, chuckling despite herself. "That's still too old for such games."

The Crystal Age had failed to arrive soon enough to preserve the life of her grandfather. But Chad was among the first ones to be granted an extended lifespan. Raye became the high priest of the shrine, and Chad elected to remain as a part of the staff (why, though, Raye couldn't be sure).

The animosity and disdain she felt for Chad had waned into the same affection that she carried for Darien—a brotherly love, which was somehow simultaneously platonic and fiercely loyal. She had not berated Chad in centuries.

For the past week, however, Vesta had taken up the role of Resident Chad Antagonizer, with an unparalleled zeal.

And unlike with Raye, Chad aggressively met the feisty redhead blow for blow.

Raye didn't really care to stop the drama. It made life interesting (after a millennium of peace, _interesting_ was a welcome break in the routine).

Chad slid his omelet from the pan onto the nearby plate and turned to the refrigerator. The kitchen door slammed open and Vesta burst onto the scene, red eyes flaring. She clutched the strap of her grey backback in one fist as she sprinted into the kitchen, grabbing the plate with the omelet.

"You steal my backpack, I steal your breakfast!"

Then, without warning, Vesta vaulted herself, catlike, out through the kitchen window (which, _thank Ares_, thought Raye, was wide open). She clattered down the porch steps, holding the plate above her head like a waitress. Framed by the windowpane, Vesta sprinted to the gate of the shrine and disappeared around its edge, leaving a trail of dust in her wake.

Chad stared after her, in shock, then slumped against the fridge. "I never win," he moaned into his hands.

Raye settled into a chair with her tea, leafing through a _Sailor Moon _manga (which contained laughable inaccuracies). "I've said it before and I'll say it again," she murmured. "Some things never change."

* * *

Rini tapped her fingers against her thigh nervously, a random rhythm meant to calm her nerves. The crosswalk changed, and she shuffled forward. She was enveloped by the throngs of students that were drowsily making their way to Crystal Academy/Juuban Campus. They gave Rini curious looks (perhaps off-put by the pink hair, or her status as Crown Princess), and so she trailed behind, reluctant to make introductions (which Juno and Pallas were currently doing, and doing well).

Just before the highest peaks of the Crystal Palace were out of sight, Rini turned back around, sighing as she watched the morning sun scatter against the surface of her home.

She turned back towards the mob of students, watching as Juno and Pallas chatted happily with the others, not even noticing that she lagged behind. Rini sighed.

Suddenly, her backpack began to jostle. Rini yelped, yanking the pink straps from her back and tossing the pack to the ground. She drew a hand to her chest, where a heart-shaped brooch rested carefully in the center of a bow.

The pack lurched and rippled until Diana poked her head out, meowing ruefully. "Sorry I scared you, Rini!"

Rini pinched her nose, ponytails swaying as she shook her head. "Oh, Diana," she groaned. "I can't take a cat to school!"

Diana frowned, whiskers drooping. "But Mama always went to school."

Rini picked up her cat and her backpack. "Bunny didn't ever think about sanitation codes, classmates with allergies, or specific school rules that were probably written later, with those two in mind. But I do." She stared hard into Diana's yellow eyes. "No pets."

Diana licked Rini's cheek affectionately, then dropped to the ground. "I'll go to _Flour Petal_, then."

Rini's stomach grumbled at the thought of Lita's bakery flower shop. "Once school ends, I won't be far behind."

Suddenly, Diana's eyes landed on a distant point behind Rini's back. "Princess!"

Rini turned, following the cat's gaze down the sidewalk.

The other students were long gone down the street, but in the midst of black suits and pencil skirts, Rini spied a flash of orange…and the metallic _clink_ of beads filled her senses.

The girl, who had been darting through the crowds, paused. Slowly she turned, and though she was on the other end of the block, Rini felt as though no barriers were blocking them from seeing one another.

Diana coiled her body, emitting a low growl.

As though time had ceased, as though nobody else was on the sidewalk—the air grew heavy with the energy that Rini felt from this mysterious girl.

She had skin as dark and smooth as a coffee bean. Her hair, black and dense, was coiled in bright blue thread, woven with orange feathers, red beads. She was dressed in a brown leather vest with shorts. A satchel slung across her back. In the strap pocket rested a slingshot.

She reeked of star power.

Black eyes met red ones.

"Diana," Rini breathed, heart pounding, "This energy is just like—"

The girl ran.

As though awoken from a trance, Rini snapped to attention and, yanking up her backpack, took up the chase. She ran to the edge of the block, pushing through businessmen and other students to where the girl had turned a corner.

She caught sight of orange feathers in the street, and Rini dashed in front of a taxi, eliciting an angry honk. Diana hopped up on a wall, a gray streak beside Rini. "Turn here!" the cat yelled, ignoring the shocked faces of passersby. Rini squeezed between a crowd of shoppers, kicking angrily at their baggage. She emerged onto the streets of a shopping district. Diana, back on the ground, wheeled around as Rini did, both of them desperate for a lead.

There was no trace of the girl to be seen.

Diana wheezed behind her. Rini lifted the cat sympathetically, casting one final glance down the road. Sparks in her chest. There was something so…nostalgic, so familiar. Her heart was thrumming …it just hummed with the knowledge of…_something…_she hugged Diana a little bit tighter. "Who was it?" she murmured.

Diana's brow furrowed. "I don't know, Lady."

A clock rang out, a symphony of bells over the traffic noise. Rini swore. Diana leapt from her arms and said, "Go, princess, I'll see you this afternoon."

Rini nodded, and then began to sprint back in the direction she came.

Late on the first day.

Papa was going to kill her.

* * *

King Endymion glided down the halls of the Crystal Palace, every step punctuated by the sharp rap of his scepter against the floors. He turned, glancing over his shoulder, then continued down the dark column-lined corridor of the south wing. At the end of the path was a stone wall. Yet, as the King approached, silver outlines traced the intricate carvings of two large wooden doors. The portal materialized, and the King, with little effort, pushed the doors open by their bronze handles.

"Sailor Pluto."

Sailor Pluto turned, hair shifting against her back in waves of dark green. Her garnet eyes widened, and she knelt low, bowing her head, resting her temple against the scepter.

The King saluted, and the guardian of time stood once more.

"How can I help you, King?" she asked, voice soft.

Endymion cleared his throat, and the sound echoed through the gray mists of time. "I need a way to access Elysian. I wondered if you might have a key."

To his surprise, Sailor Pluto began to laugh. Then, realizing her audience, she looked away, biting a lip and staring at a distant point in the mist.

The King shuddered, remembering his trip through the dimensional storms all too well.

"Like father, like daughter."

The King's eyes, confused, shot back to Sailor Pluto.

"Small Lady came earlier this week with the same question. And I had to give her the same answer." Pluto's lips twisted into a half smile. "Despite still possessing the key to my old Subaru, I do not have a key to Elysian."

The King slowly absorbed this new information—not just the lack of a key, but also the wishes of his daughter.

"She wants to go to Elysian?"

Pluto nodded. "She said she would return to the past once a week to do my laundry and clean my house, if I showed her the way. She brought me tea and cookies."

Endymion sighed. "Of course she did."

"People go to great lengths for the ones they love." Pluto tilted her head towards him, ever so slightly. "You of all must know."

Endymion _hmm_ed in agreement, and then there was a long silence. The fog churned around them, and the King swore he could hear ocean waves.

"If you don't mind, King," Pluto began haltingly, "why can't you go there on your own? Is the Golden Crystal not powerful enough to transport you? Is the crystal…?" She trailed off, uncertain how to finish.

Endymion sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Don't you already know?" he asked, stalling.

"I try not to investigate events beyond what I am required to manipulate," Pluto answered coolly. "Knowledge is not always power."

Endymion nodded, crossing his arms. The two of them stood, arms crossed with scepters nestled into their elbows, mirror postures in the dimensional fog.

"The Golden Crystal has been unresponsive, ever since my 'death' in the past," the King explained wearily. "When Galaxia stole Darien's star seed in the airport—something that was not originally in the timeline—the light of my Golden Crystal dimmed, in this time." He extended his scepter towards Pluto, who confirmed the unusual dullness of the jewel within its setting. "I haven't been able to summon the generals from their stones," he continued. "I haven't heard or felt anything from Helios, despite our bonded souls. And," his voice grew shaky, and he had to pause, "the voice of the Earth is disappearing." His face was grave. "And my people have begun to notice it, question it." The scowling face of Eleanor Canopy flew through his mind, and the King grimaced.

Pluto had begun gathering some of the fog about her, pulling up images from the past of that fateful day, studying the way Darien crumbled, studying the star seed in Galaxia's bony hands. Scenes of the battles, almost like a fast-forwarding movie, played before the two of them, and her fingers flew over the fog for several tense minutes until, finally, her actions ceased.

Sailor Pluto drew in a breath, and quickly removed a key from her belt. She clasped it in her hand and turned to the King.

"When a planet guardian dies," she began, "their star seeds return to the galaxy cauldron, in most cases. But," she drew up an image of Rini and her scouts, descending from the sky into battle on Galaxia's planet, "if those guardians have children, their powers are passed down. My father, Chronos, passed his powers down to me," she added.

"When you died the first time, your Golden Crystal dimmed because it was no longer supposed to exist. Yet Galaxia preserved your life for her purposes. But—the second time, when you fell into the cauldron," (the King grimaced at the image that Pluto now summoned of him falling backwards into the abyss), "Sailor Cosmos blessed Rini with full scout powers. I believe these events coincided in a way that means Rini unintentionally has your Golden Crystal power dwelling within her soul, rather than in yours."

The key turned in Pluto's grasp, flipping within a cage of her slim fingers.

"But Bunny healed everyone. After the battle, I used my Golden Crystal several times for Crystal Tokyo." Endymion could not hide his confusion.

Pluto waved a hand and let the mist that played the past dissolve. "It's difficult, King, but…I'll try." She ran a hand past her ear, patting at the chignon bun. "Galaxia was not in the timeline, in _our _timeline, until the disturbances called Rini to the past. Her actions in that past affect our present because she is a part of _this_ time. In one timepath, your Golden Crystal may have continued to shine following the events of Dead Moon. The presence of Galaxia, however, has changed the timepath, and the effects of this change are only now being seen in our present. Though the memories are now from 900 years ago, the effects are as recent as Rini's departure from Crystal Tokyo."

The King laughed. "I'll pretend to follow that explanation if you promise to never repeat it. Medical school was a breeze compared to time-space issues."

Pluto smiled, all small and gentle teeth. Then she held out the key to the King. "This is not a key to Elysian, but it may bring you one step closer."

The King frowned, taking the key. "What do you mean?"

"I believe, as your Golden Crystal power manifests itself in Rini, she may be able to act as a conduit to Elysian. The key is an anchor for the pathway." Pluto tapped her fingers against the scepter. "You can still use psychometry, right?"

"Just barely…as I said, the generals—"

"Oh," Pluto waved a hand, "That's just because they're not in the stones anymore, King. If you use power with Rini, I'm sure that you'll reach Helios."

"Okay, I'll try…" the King began to walk away then, suddenly, whirled back around. "Wait, what? Kunzite and—they're—"

Pluto nodded, amused. "The generals are unawakened, but reborn."

"How?"

"You fell into the abyss, correct? Their star seeds were reborn, as guardians of Earth. The jewels became empty shells."

"…Where are they?" His voice was soft, low, and hoarse.

"You'll find them, King, in time."

The King sighed at her answer, knowing the conversation to be finished. "You've given me a lot to think about. As always." He turned to depart. "Thank you, Setsuna."

The guardian of time bowed low, one hand fisted over her heart. "It has been good to see you…" She watched his figure disappear as the door closed. "…Endymion."

* * *

Rini burst through the door to the classroom just as Aunt Naru (ahem, Mrs. Gurio) was calling roll. She was in the classroom long enough to see Ceres sitting primly in the front row, looking fresh and sensible in her perfectly pressed uniform; to see that Pallas, behind Ceres, was doodling; to see Juno already passing a note from the back of the room down the line to her sisters; to see a crop of unfamiliar faces that made her stomach twist…and, hiding behind Juno's hair—Hotaru. She had taken a different route to school than Rini this morning.

Rini's relief at the sight of Hotaru was palpable, and the princess started forward to claim the empty seat beside her friend.

"Like mother like daughter, I see," Nar—_Mrs. Gurio_—said, not without kindness. "Small Lady, you must stand in the hallway. School rules."

Rini's shoulders slumped. "Even on the first day?"

"Even on Day 1." The redhead nodded crisply. And, with a louder, didactic tone, "I demand one hundred percent from the start!" She cast an apologetic eye in Rini's direction.

The princess turned and walked lethargically out the door, closing it behind her. She leaned against the wall and allowed herself to slide down to the ground with a groan. The school nurse, pushing a creaky cart of medical supplies down the hall, cast a sympathetic glance in Rini's direction, and the pink-haired girl smiled back wanely.

Rini opened her bookbag and withdrew a sketchpad and pencil. A rough picture began to take form, and the muffled voices of teachers began to fade away. The soothing scratch of pencil sounded like a soft accompaniment to the large branches that were scratching against the hallway window. So Rini decided to turn the lines on her page into that tree.

**_We're dying, maiden._**

The pencil clattered to the ground and rolled down the hallway. Rini, pale, looked around. Nobody was there, and yet she heard the voices again, so strong. She pinched her face.

"…I'm not dreaming."

Suddenly the hallway door, a few yards away, crashed open, and Vesta sprinted through. Her feet clacked against the tile floor. She stopped short when she noticed Rini sitting on the ground outside. Vesta looked at the classroom door, almost placing a hand on the doorknob, then sighed, tossing her backpack to the floor beside Rini. She flopped down next to her pink-haired friend with a nod.

"Yo." Vesta then proceeded to pull out an assortment of bronze accessories from her backpack. She gradually pulled together her hair, piece by piece, into an intricate ponytail. "So, we're late." The first metal cuff snapped into place with a dull click. "Chad threw this"—she jerked a thumb to her backpack, "onto the roof of the shrine. The roof!" She wrapped another piece of hair. "On the first day of school." A hairband, as though to punctuate the words, snapped into place at the nape of her neck.

Rini chuckled. "We'll think of a counter attack in detention."

"Dye his hair."

"Cut holes in the crotch of all his pants."

"Post an ad with his number on it."

"Move everything out of his room and rebuild it, but outside of the shrine."

Vesta was laughing now too. "Who knew? Princess loves a prank."

Rini nodded emphatically. "Of course I do! What, you thought I wouldn't?"

Vesta shrugged. "We do a lot of fun in our family, my sisters and I. Even Ceres, I promise she does. For awhile, we've been worried that we'd be protecting a stiff, proper princess."

"Trust me," Rini replied, "I am nobody's definition of a princess." She leaned back against the wall, suddenly quiet. The tree rustled against the windowpane, and in Rini's head danced the darker shadows of mistakes she made—secrets kept, trusts broken, or silver crystals stolen.

Vesta, watching the ruby eyes fall, gently elbowed her slender shoulder. "Well, then we're a perfect match. Because I'm nobody's definition of a guardian." She sighed. "I barely manage to cover my own ass most days." Then Vesta pulled out her phone and began playing the recently released _Kaitou Ace _video game. She motioned towards Rini. "This is always the trickiest level."

Rini leaned in to watch as a small pixel man with cherub features jumped and ran and shot playing cards at purple monsters, as Vesta swiped her fingers across the screen. "Careful, or it'll be taken away," Rini cautioned.

"Yeah, well, I'm chummy with the Crown Princess of Crystal Tokyo, so I bet she'll be able to get it back for me if I can't."

Rini smiled, slow and soft. She relaxed against the wall and closed her eyes, intending to catch just one more wink. In the companionable silence that followed, Rini could almost feel the elusive _click_ that changed strangers into friends.

The sound of shattering glass and suddenly a shriek filled the hallway.

Vesta dropped her phone and stood, yanking Rini up to her feet as well. The two girls glanced at one another for a millisecond before both took off running in the direction of the scream, just as the doors to several classrooms were opening.

A small coalition of teachers and students bounded after Rini and Vesta, but the two girls arrived first at the source of the noise: the nurse's office.

Rini halted in the doorway and the sight chilled her bones.

A menacing creature, yellow-eyed, gaunt, and covered with leathery blue skin, towered over the limp body of the school nurse. Instead of hair, her scalp was covered in snakes. A single fang hung over her bottom lip. In her hand was a golden orb, pulsating with energy.

Aunt Naru (screw it, she was family before she was teacher) fainted straightaway, falling against Ceres and Hotaru.

"Hey!" Vesta shouted, advancing. "What do you think you've done?" She reached out her hand, as though to transform, but Rini pulled it back down.

"_We're exposed!_" she hissed.

"So what?" Vesta shot back. Juno appeared at her side, nodding.

"Gotta fight."

But Pallas popped up beside Rini, shaking a head at her sisters.

"We can't, not here," said the blue-haired girl.

But ultimately, it didn't matter. The creature let out a tremendous yawp, then burst through the roof of the school, disappearing into the sky like a bolt of lightning.

The fire alarm sounded, and the scouts, who were poised for argument, deflated.

Rini bent down, gathering the school nurse in her arms. Juno knelt beside her and took up the other side of the woman's limp body.

Everybody filed out of the school, pouring onto the sidewalks and under the playground trees in a nervous chatter.

And with every step, with every heartbeat, the words rang louder in Rini's ears…

**_We're dying, Maiden._**

**_Help us._**

**_We're dying._**

* * *

**8 Acres East**


	5. Chapter 5

Hello all,

I am making changes once again to this story. Thank you for sticking with me! I'm full of ideas and trying to put them all down the best way possible.

If you have time, definitely go back and reread! Major plot changes. And lots of new writing to fill in some holes and hopefully make the story richer later on.

-8 Acres East


	6. Chapter 6

**To Be A Lady**

**Chapter 4**

* * *

The entirety of Crystal Tokyo Academy/Juuban Campus scattered in the school's front lawn. Ambulances from CT Medical University Hospital had arrived. Firemen and policemen were assessing the situation within the school. News crews and photographers had assembled as well. Rini noted the furrowed brow of the principal, in deep discussion with the emergency crews. Hotaru's face held a similar tension, as she walked across the lawn towards the scouts.

Rini sank down by a large tree at the entrance, elbows on knees, head in hands.

A single youma, stealing a small amount of energy. But she could feel that this was only the first drop of a downpour.

Her phone persisted in buzzing, nestled in a side pocket of her satchel, but Rini ignored the calls.

"You should really take those." Hotaru sank down beside her friend. "Michiru-mama was in tears." Violet eyes took in the clustered students. "Not many are hurt," she observed. "Or worried." Raucous laughter from a group of underclassmen confirmed her observation.

A pair of students walked by the two, continuing through the entryway ("We've been out here an hour already. I'm going home.").

"I like their plan." Without turning, Rini knew Vesta's voice from its husky, scratchy timbre.

Vesta settled beside Rini and Hotaru, gesturing to the couple that intended to cut class. "Maybe we can go too."

Rini wrinkled her nose as she withdrew her phone from the bag. Ami, Lita, Luna, Mina, Mama, Papa, Haruka, Raye, Diana. 30 messages. The cats often left multiple messages, accidentally.

"I think it might be a good idea to do that," Hotaru said, agreeing with Vesta. "Rini?"

Rini was replaying the sudden departure of the monster over again in her head, the near-argument of her scout team. "The whole school was just endangered, and our training has only begun," she said, voice low and shaky. "What if we aren't ready?"

"Then we become ready," Hotaru whispered.

Vesta clicked her tongue. "The enemy will be here whether we're ready or not. And our duty would be to fight, regardless." She pointed down the street. "That thing might still be here. I say we go look for it." She stood, offering a hand to Rini. "Come on, princess."

Rini took it, standing in one graceful movement.

"Let's go," Rini said. "Can you find the other girls?"

"Okay, I think I see Pal back there!" And Vesta was gone, just a ponytail weaving through the student body.

Rini circled, straining for a glimpse of Ceres or Juno between the firemen, policemen, teachers, students, medical teams. The flashing sirens were disorienting.

"Ceres is that way," and Hotaru was gone.

A hand on her arm and Rini found a camera and microphone, thrust in her face. A woman with glossy brown hair and a caked-up complexion smiled at her with teeth too white to be real. "Excuse me," she began, in a booming voice, "We're taking interviews from students about what happened today, and would like to interview—oh!" The woman motioned frantically to her cameraman with a hiss. "Closer, closer!" She turned her attention back to Rini, eyes wide. "You're the crown princess!"

Rini, nervous but not blushing, clasped on arm behind her back. She fingered the communicator watch around her wrist. "Well, yes, I am," she said slowly.

The anchorwoman eyed her coolly. She made a rolling motion and began to speak into the camera.

"You're watching News Channel 46. I'm Kiri Yamamoto and I'm coming to you live from Crystal Tokyo Academy in Juuban District. I'm standing here with the Crown Princess Lady Serenity." Rini, who had attempted to inch out of the frame, was yanked back in by a strong, well-manicured hand. "Tell us, Princess, how is it you have changed so much so recently?" Kiri Yamamoto craned her neck to take in Rini's willowy figure. "Several tabloid photos have captured your newly grown body, and quite frankly, it's unnatural."

"Um, well," Rini began, shaky and perturbed at the same time, "I went away on a long vacation recently, and hit a growth spurt." It was the best she could do on short notice. She glanced at the black lens of the camera, and added, coldly, "Shouldn't you be asking about my school instead of my height?"

Kiri's smile wavered, slightly, and her eyes gave Rini a look of disdain. Then, upping the wattage on her whitened teeth, she faced the camera. "We've got plenty of coverage from the events that happened here today, but nothing from the princess perspective. What would you say to your people right now?"

_My people?_

Rini had never claimed such a hold on Crystal Tokyo, assuming it would forever belong to her parents. But she was Sailor Lady Moon now, and suddenly she felt a sense of urgent responsibility.

Rini looked hard into the camera. "The enemy approaches," she said, clear and loud. "But you will be protected, by Sailor Scouts, by the Crystal Council, by the King and Queen. By me. We will work tirelessly until this never happens again." She motioned to the smoking school building, still crumpling under the damage from the creature's hasty departure.

"Brave words. But," Kiri Yamamoto narrowed her eyes, "How can this be, when the power of the Golden Crystal is gone? Can you answer to the rumors, highness? Your father the King is weak, and Tokyo is asking questions—"_King_ and _Highness_ reeked of condemnation rather than respect, and Rini's temper flared higher. She towered over Kiri, ruby eyes aflame.

"I assure you," she said, willing her teeth not to grind, "that my father is a capable leader who still possesses the powers he has, and always will have. The Golden Crystal protects the dreams of this planet. It will always do that."

Kiri scoffed. "Some would say our dreams are only protected when they match the ambitions of the royal family. After all, there is the matter of the Black Moon's unjust banishment."

A bitter scoff erupted from Rini's mouth. "Black Moon tried to control our planet with a poisonous crystal!" Her voice shook.

Kiri Yamamoto raised an eyebrow, unmoved. Then she replied, "Some might say the same of your parents."

Then Rini grew very still. Her knuckles turned white, and she pressed her lips together.

Kiri shoved the microphone closer. "Well?"

Rini's head snapped up from where it had fallen in shadow. "You lie," she barked. Her hands balled up in fists, and she felt a pressure building in the corners of her eyes. "Keep your lies to yourself! Your fake face and your fake teeth and your fake nose! If you don't trust us to lead you, then just…just _leave_!"

And Rini could feel a certain dark satisfaction in becoming so angry—

She raised her hand and Kiri cowered—

A multitude of flashes, and Rini realized that a large crowd of photographers had gathered, watching the interview with keen interest.

Rini stared at her raised arm as though it were a ghost. _What am I doing?_

A warm hand yanked down at the 'foreign arm' from behind and Rini whirled to see Juno, amber eyes unreadable.

"JunJun!"

"Follow me." Still gripping Rini's wrist, Juno propelled them both towards the edge of the crowd. As they weaved through people, Rini's eyes roved over the faces until they landed on—

Brown leather, beaded hair, obsidian eyes—

A flash of orange in the crowd—

Then she was gone.

Rini froze, heartbeat in her ears. "Juno, wait," but her voice was drowned out in the crowd.

And there, again, that feeling of utter nostalgia prickled in her ribcage.

Cameras continued to flash and people pressed all around. Juno yanked, hard, and Rini was swept away from the moment.

The quartet stood waiting at the edge of the schoolyard. Rini and Juno sprinted to them.

"Did anyone else see the girl?" Rini demanded hotly. "The girl, with the beads in her hair?"

The quartet gave her puzzled looks.

"Did anyone else feel her star power at all? Smell it in the air, even?" Rini's voice rose an octave, and Hotaru hastily dragged her farther down the sidewalk.

"Come on, did you see a girl in brown, with a backpack and a slingshot and orange feathers?" Rini pressed.

"No," Hotaru replied, with concern.

"But—"

"But we can't talk about it here," Ceres cut in. She motioned down the road. "Cover the area and meet at Lita's in an hour. Let's see if we can't find that thing."

They split away into groups, scattering across Juuban District.

* * *

A flash of orange, and Astraea appeared at the entrance to the temple. She wound her way through the damp, mossy passageways of the edifice.

The tight halls gave way to the main chamber, where the golden pool resided. The smooth red satin of her dress caught the light as Hippolyta rose.

Astraea knelt, bringing forth the orb of memory energy. "Energy, for our jungle."

Hippolyta cupped the orb in two hands. It glowed brighter even than the cave's water. A large mirror, leaning against a stone wall, was the only dark space in the temple cloister. Neither the golden aura of the spring water, nor the glow of memory energy, could brighten the darkness in the mirror.

"_This is it_?"

"Please, understand, I—"

A wave of Hippolyta's hand, covered in gleaming gemstone rings, silenced the offender. In the darkness of the temple, the golden spring water glowed, churning and frothing endlessly.

Astraea refused to cower before the tall woman in the red dress, so she chose to stay kneeling, focusing on the cold and rough of the stone digging into her fist. Hippolyta scoffed with disdain, and Astraea's eyes, still on the floor, burned.

"That measly ball of energy," Hippolyta spat, "Is barely enough to keep one bird alive. Is this what you've worked for, Astraea?"

She carelessly let the golden orb fall to the floor. It sank in between the stones like water seeping into soil. From the cracks rose a vibrant green vine, fresh and fragrant. It grew, sidling up the wall, over the mirror, and crawling out of a hole in the top corner of the room, where the temple had caved.

Astraea tried again, with a colder tone. "_Please understand, _that energy was what I've collected from your pawns. It is nothing of my own attempt."

A dark mist began to fill the cavern.

"And why is it that _you_ _yourself_ are not trying?" Hippolyta asked, in a saccharine voice.

Astraea fiddled with the slingshot at her waist. "I am still investigating," she said coolly. "The stars told me it was unwise to take risks."

Hippolyta rolled her angry blue eyes. "Ah, yes. The _stars_." She snapped her fingers, and suddenly the golden water began to gush. It flowed upwards, folding over on top of itself. It was a tower of foamy, churning water. The tower gave way to reveal the curled up body of a snake.

"Anaconda," Hippolyta purred. The snake uncoiled, shifting form as it unraveled. The body of a woman with the eyes of a deadly snake stepped forward from the spring. Instead of skin, she had the patterned scales of a serpent. She had no hair, no nose (just slits) and wore no clothing. Hippolyta waved a hand. "Go to Crystal Tokyo. Show Astraea precisely what it means to _collect energy_."

Astraea shrugged forward, approaching Anaconda with disdain. The snake woman's tongue slipped from between her lips, testing the air. "Sssssertainly," she whispered in the dark of the cave. "We will not return until we've seen successss."

Together, Astraea and Anaconda stepped into the golden water. In a flash of light, they were gone.

Hippolyta perched on a stone bench before the dark mirror, gazing into its abyss. She fingered the freshly grown vine that sprawled across the glass—glass that, unlike other mirrors, was not reflecting an image. "Soon we will have the world as our jungle, mother," Hippolyta murmured.

A woman's visage appeared within the mirror. She wore a dark gown, and her long hair, as dark as Hippolyta's, flowed down her back in waves.

Nephrenia smiled at her daughter.

The two began to laugh, scattering the jungle birds that lurked on the crumbled ledges of the temple.

* * *

He had not ever woken up.

As Juno jogged down the sidewalk, flanked by Pallas and Ceres, she knew her mind needed to be alert for a youma. But instead, her thoughts wandered, and she considered the abrupt appearance of Lita with the man—_Asanuma_, his name.

Surely the attacks were connected.

More often than not, a simple answer was a right one.

The girls had taken shifts in the night.

_Juno yawned, crawling from her bed to quiet the alarm. She stepped lightly down the hallway, past Pal's room, past Ami's room (where Lita sprawled across the bed, feet hanging over the edge) and into the living room. Asanuma's body rested limply on the couch. Ami sat nearby, in blue pajamas. Her tired eyes smiled up at Juno. _

"Let's go that way!" Pallas tugged her arm, and suddenly they were in an alley.

_Ami rose from the chair. "You do have school tomorrow, so you shouldn't do this."_

_Juno smirked. "You have to save lives tomorrow. Sleep's important." She shooed Ami away with her hand, then settled in the place of the doctor. The chair, so soft and springy…she could have fallen asleep._

_And yet…_

"What is it that they want?" Ceres was thinking aloud, as she was wont to do. "Why steal energy now? What needs energy?"

_Juno stretched her hand towards his profile. "Juno Star Power," she whispered, brushing one finger lightly against a cheekbone. She fed a tendril of energy into Asanuma—power from the gemstones of the Amazon. Just a little bit. Just to see._

_No signs of waking._

_She drew a line down the bridge of his nose with a delicate finger. She held a hand over his mouth to confirm that he still did indeed breathe. Check. She predicted that his eyes were blue. _

_Juno settled back into the couch. "Well, I'm Juno. Ami gave us a last name when she got us into school, and mine is 'Junguru'. Juno Jungle, can you believe that? I spent a thousand years in a marble. I don't really like kale, or candy." She yawned. "I'll quiz you when you wake up, so listen closely, Mr. Asanuma." _

_Then her eyes closed, somehow, and the next thing, she was woken up by the sound of an ambulance in the driveway. Lita had pulled her from the chair, shoving her towards the shower. "Don't be late on the first day, now."_

"There's no sign of them," Juno found herself saying. They paused at the corner. An elderly man walking a very tiny dog inched past them, eyeing the group with curiosity.

Beside her, Ceres wheezed, catching her breath on her knees (and she somehow managed to look very graceful in the act).

"Let's go back to Lita's, then," Pallas said mournfully. "Hopefully the others will have some luck."

"Everyone have the comm-link up?" Ceres pointed to her wrist. Juno nodded, and the three of them took off once more.

* * *

"No sign of anything," Vesta grumbled. She glanced up at the roof, shielding her eyes, and shrugged. Meanwhile, Rini was in a fit.

"I cannot believe she said those things!" Rini stalked down the sidewalk, peering into alleyways and slapping the lids from garbage cans (the monster would not be hiding in the trash, but right now, Rini was happy to be demolishing something).

Hotaru trailed behind, a study of calm against the rampaging princess.

"We've heard similar opinions in Europe," the scout of Saturn replied. "I don't know when the shift occurred, but not everyone is enthralled with Crystal Tokyo. At least, not anymore."

Rini groaned. "Don't they know how much we've protected them?" She simmered. "To compare us to Black Moon-!"

"What's Black Moon?" Vesta asked.

A ringtone symphony interrupted any explanation. Hotaru pulled out her phone. "Hello?...yes, we're fine…Mama called me before…no, no battle this time…a creature…I'll tell you more tonight…love you too…rosemary bread? Yes, I'll get it…Bye." She hung up her phone. "Haruka-papa's cooking lasagna, if you want to come over."

"Can't," Vesta said dolefully. "I have an evening meditation practice with Raye. She told me it would happen rain or shine, youma or not."

"How like Raye," Rini remarked.

She frowned at her own silent, inactive cell phone. She had sent word to Papa and Mama that everything was alright, and while they had answered in clipped text, neither parent had stepped aside from their day to call.

Papa and Mama had been swamped with meetings, more so than ever. Perhaps Rini had spent too long in the past—she did not recall the King and Queen having been so busy before. So many evenings, Papa was working. And Mama…as unreachable as ever. How did the accessible Bunny Tsukino become such an unavailable Queen?

"I think it's time we threw in the towel," Vesta declared. "Lita's?"

"Yes, let's go. And Rini? Do you want to have dinner with us?" Hotaru asked.

"Hm?" Rini turned to her expectant friends. "Oh. Yes to both." With a believably sunny smile, she turned and bounded ahead down the road towards the bakery.

* * *

A television set was positioned above the checkout counter so that the booth's occupants could watch. It was muted, but Rini could still see the footage roll above Juno's head. The King and Queen's faces came up a few times in different places, a fragrance commercial with Mina, a small child playing with the latest edition of a _Luna P_, a clothing commercial featuring Mina, Reika talking with an anchorwoman with the words _Rainforest Rescue_ scrolling beneath the conversation, another beauty product endorsed by Mina (who lived her life in front of a camera lens, apparently), and an ad for the _Kaitou Ace_ video game that had already enthralled Vesta.

The scout of Jupiter rested her arm across the back of the deep circular booth, tapping her fingers against the dark wood. _Flour Petal_, the business of Lita's dreams, was both a café and flower shop. Wooden booths lined the edges of the space, which was almost entirely windowed. Lace tablecloths, fresh roses in vases, plants hung from the ceiling, and Michiru's paintings were on display—splashes of blue against the dark green walls. A door to the side took you through to the flower shop. A door in the back led to Lita's office, the kitchen, and the small studio space above the business, where Lita lived.

The quartet, Rini, and Hotaru had scoured the area around their high school, fanning out and reconvening as planned at _Flour Petal_. One look at their faces, and Lita immediately brought forth a bevy of sweets. The café, crowded in the afterschool hours, was empty now. Lita had flipped over the sign as soon as Rini knocked at the glass door with its elegant script.

The cobbler finally cooled, and Rini took a bite. "Oh my." Her eyes closed, and she delicately licked each tong of the fork before eating more.

Lita lazily stirred her cup of tea, plopping sugar cubes one by one into the china cup. "So, you couldn't find anything."

"No," Rini muttered. She rested her chin on her arms, which were folded on top of the table. She stared down the steaming piece of cobbler that Lita had placed before her. Vesta and Juno sipped green tea, Ceres an espresso. Pallas slurped a strawberry milkshake. Hotaru's hands were folded around a steaming coffee. Diana, who had been with Lita when the group arrived, flopped across Vesta's shoulder.

"We don't know why the creature left so suddenly," Ceres elaborated.

"It held a ball of energy, stolen from the nurse, and then it left," Hotaru added.

Vesta jumped in her seat, accidentally shoving into Juno as she pointed at the TV. "Turn it up! That's the school!"

Lita turned, reaching out a long appendage to grasp the nearby remote from where it sat at another table.

_Tempers were flaring at Crystal Tokyo Academy Juuban Campus today. A mysterious attack on CTA's first day of school has sent four people to the hospital, including one teacher, one school nurse, and two students. However, the aftermath was overshadowed by a public dispute between one of our finest anchors and the Crown Princess Lady Serenity. _

Rini's face appeared on screen, along with Kiri Yamamoto. As Lita's finger pressed the volume, Rini's voice grew clearer until finally all heard the words "…_fake face and your fake teeth and your fake nose!_"

Rini swore, loudly and more than just once.

_The Crown Princess fled after raising a threatening arm at Yamamoto. _

Rini paled at the frozen shot of her arm poised above Kiri Yamamoto with a clearly threatening intent.

_Is it safe to question our government? And what do we do if it is not? This concludes our News Hour but we'll be debating those questions and more in the next segment, where Shiro Amanji will be interviewing the Chief Director of Public Relations in the Crystal Council. _

"What happened there?" Lita asked Rini, eyebrow raised. Juno delicately reached across the table to click mute.

Then the princess slammed her fist, so hard that Juno's arm jerked, spilling the tea.

"I was provoked! They aren't showing her words at all. She insulted my family and she's trying to make it sound like we're bad leaders!" Her ruby eyes were cold.

Pallas raised a napkin, letting it flutter down onto the spill. She wiped the mess and clumped the napkins into Vesta's empty ice cream bowl. "News is biased," she shrugged.

Rini stabbed her fork into another crusty sugar glob. The phone rang and Lita stood, floating through the swinging kitchen doors with a _swish_. The sound of her voice was muffled by the swinging doors, but the girls could hear enough to know that she was speaking with Ami.

Ceres thoughtfully sipped her espresso. "That golden ball of light. What was it?"

"Energy," Vesta offered. "Like 'Taru said."

"But for what?" Juno.

Rini threw up her arms. "Who knows! People are always wanting energy for this and that."

"We need to speak with that nurse." Hotaru's voice was soft and level, and this calmed Rini. "We don't know exactly what happened."

"Let's visit the hospital tomorrow, then," Diana said. "Ami will let us in."

One final slurp announced the completion of Pallas' milkshake. The blue-haired girl gasped suddenly.

All eyes turned to Pallas. "You okay, Pal?" asked Juno.

"I just realized…"

Everyone leaned in…

"That…

Diana's whiskers perked.

"…this milkshake is the _exact same color_ as Rini's hair."

A collective groan.

The silence that followed was punctured by a rapid series of tones emitting from Rini's wristwatch communicator.

She clicked open the watch and Luna's face appeared within its small circle.

"Small Lady, you are wanted at the palace," said the cat, slowly and with great sympathy. Luna's eyes softened. Rini began to feel very, very nervous.

Clearly, Papa and Mama had just seen the News.

* * *

**8 Acres East**

A word about the changes I made, and the reviews that resulted:

-So glad you like the story!

-Darien will not be powerless forever!

-I updated...now!

-And lastly, about Helios...

I have always felt that Helios is maybe more than the calmer, almost weak portrayal in the anime. In the manga, he has the tenacity to go after Rini, invite her to fly around Tokyo with him, and just plants a kiss on her! He sacrifices himself without hesitation, and is very bold, I think, in a number of ways. Perhaps due to desperation.

In the anime, Helios is definitely calm, but he is still quite straightforward in how he talks to Rini (talks very openly about love and how Rini will know her intended husband when she meets him), and is very stubborn when it comes to sharing secrets. He leaves conversations suddenly, and is very cautious about friendship. It is also told in the anime that Pegasus has the power to rule the world.

So I think Helios is a character who hasn't been fleshed out yet. The way I see it, he is someone who is very knowledgeable, has lived a long time and is therefore very calm, steady, straightforward, where others are up in arms...but I also think he's stubborn too, fiercely independent (a little like Rini), and has a sort of grumpy underbelly.

I like to imagine he and Sailor Cosmos have a touchy, teasing friendship, and maybe there's a great backstory there, but all this to say...Helios is someone to get upset, biting with his words, and defensive when his realm is destroyed. And maybe a bit alarmed, when handed a small child.

So I might add some spice to his character, but only because I want to play with who he might have become, if he had stuck around longer in the anime or the manga.

Hope that clarifies!


	7. Chapter 7

**To Be A Lady**

**Chapter 5**

* * *

Dr. Ami Mizuno scratched a few notes on the clipboard, then replaced it in its slot at the edge of the hospital bed. In the narrow window of the hospital room, she could see the last light of twilight disappear.

"On the first day of school, too," the bluenette murmured. "How could anyone disrupt a day so sacred?" She gently nudged wire-rimmed glasses back against the bridge of her nose. On a TV in the corner of the hospital room, the news replayed footage from the school scene, which had quickly taken over as the highlight for the evening news.

The bed's occupant was silent but for the slow, melodic rhythm of his breath. Ami chuckled. "I've got to stop talking to my coma patients." She adjusted the thermostat with a grimace. "I've got to stop thinking that it's funny. My morbid sense of humor won't make any more friends now, will it." She moved on to the IV, carefully studying the contents of each bag. The TV droned.

_Principal Shi, along with several others at the scene, claim to have seen a mysterious person attack the nurse's office and somehow blast through the wall during his or her escape. School nurse Leah Erikson is currently in critical condition at the hospital. Police are gathering eyewitness accounts…_

Just like Asanuma, the school nurse was in similar condition. CT and MRI scans showed adequate brain activity, but the body simply would not awaken. Ami had requested that both cases be moved to the same wing, for closer study.

"So you'll have company soon, don't worry," she clucked.

The beeper on Ami's belt chimed, and Ami turned to the door, casting one last glance at the television as the scene changed to student interviews. She opened the door and—

A brief blur of pink on the screen caught her eye.

Ami paused and watched shaky footage of Rini and Hotaru pressing through a crowd.

Her eyes narrowed. That—in the background, a girl—who?

But it was gone, switching to another ad for Mina's CD.

A knock at the doorframe, from right behind Ami, startled the doctor into dropping her beeper. The clatter of the device on tile could not completely drown out the rich tenor that said, "Excuse me, are you Dr. Mizuno?"

Ami's fingers froze on the beeper. And then they began to freeze the beeper. Slowly, subtly, she willed Mercury power to calm itself.

Complete memories of a past life returned, after the events of Galaxia. She held two sets of memories, two personalities, two hearts, two souls, two minds. Both knew this voice.

He repeated his question.

Ami stood, collecting her memories in a box and sending that box from her heart down into the floor, all the way to the morgue. She stretched out a hand towards the man standing in front of her, whose innocent green eyes obviously suggested that he held no memories whatsoever of a Silver Millenium or a Queen Beryl. "Yes, I am she," her voice a perfection in its evenness. He shook her hand, brow furrowing slightly.

An awkward pause, and green eyes glanced towards the comatose Asanuma. Ami realized she needed to ask his name. "..And you are?" "I'm Zachory Stone."

They had spoken at the same time. He chuckled, and she stepped back to 1. Allow him entrance to the room and 2. Get herself some space.

"Do you know my patient?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yes, we are co-workers. Friends too, I suppose. I got a call from one Lita Kino, who informed me of Asanuma's condition. She was looking for friends, and I was the most recently called." He studied the monitors, glancing at the TV for one moment before training his gaze on the doctor. "I am a neuroscientist and professor. Dr. Ittou and I work in the same department. We've been following your research for quite some time," he added. "I have to admit, I'm a bit starstruck." He chuckled, eyes twinkling at Ami, who wasn't sure how to look back. "But that's not why I'm here. Can you tell me more about what has happened here?" He looked at the monitors once more. "By all accounts, Asanuma shouldn't be in a coma."

Her hands had traveled from her pockets to crossed at the elbows to folded at the collarbone to clenched behind her back. "Confidentiality," she finally said. "I can't say if it's not family." She pointed to a notice posted above the sink. "There are visiting hours," she added stiffly.

"I am persuasive, and the nurse was lenient." A sly grin crept up the corner of his face. His celery green eyes darted playfully her way. "I suspect the same tactic will not be working on you."

The more things changed…"Not hardly," Ami replied, voice barely above a whisper. "Excuse me."

Protocol be damned. It didn't really matter if he stayed; she was the one who needed to go. So Ami snatched up the clipboard from the bed, darted past the figure of Zoicite, and walked briskly to the end of the hall. She mashed the button for the elevator. The doors opened, and she lunged into the security of its solid walls. Then the doctor yanked a phone from the depths of her white coat, frantically dialing Lita.

* * *

_When we salute, we give our people hope and love. _

No matter how many ways Rini chose to bury her face in the pillow, nothing could muffle her Papa's words.

_Your words today did not offer either of those things._

No matter how many times Rini counted the stars on her ceiling, nothing could erase her Mama's frown.

_Harsh as the woman's words may have been, Small Lady, we rise above these criticisms and we lead. _

And every time Rini inhaled, she imagined trying to suck back her own words—the kind of words that she, somehow, still didn't know how to hold inside.

_And where were you? Where have you been? Maybe I stayed so long in the past because in the present, my parents are never there for me!_

A slammed door, echoing in the rooms that were too large, too grand in comparison to the home that she'd created in the past.

Rini curled over again, hugging a pillow close to her chest.

If it were another time, she could have climbed out a window. She could have fled to Darien's apartment, or to Lita's. She could have fired up the stallion reve for a late night phone call to Helios.

But here, Rini felt utterly, irrevocably alone with her anger. And she missed, more than anything else, the past.

Then, in the dark of the room, her phone began to buzz and glow.

_Compass rose, I'm getting closer, to the girl I was before—_Rini's ringtone sang out the song that had carried Mina into stardom.

Rini clumsily swiped an arm out to grasp the phone, barely seeing the name **VESTA **before bringing it up to her ear. "Hello?" Her voice, ready for sleep, was hoarse.

"Hey. I get in trouble all the time, but never really on national television, so I can imagine that it would pretty much suck."

"Thanks," Rini replied weakly. "It pretty much did."

"I wanted to call you earlier, but Chad changed my phone password while I was eating dinner and retyped the names of my contacts. You're in here as **COTTON CANDY. **I had some awkward phone calls trying to figure out who was who. I got the number of that cute guy in our class today" (_How?_ Rini wondered, not without jealousy, _We weren't even at school for more than four hours_) "and he got put down as **LOLLIPOP**, so that was awkward to explain. Ended up talking to him, Chad, _and_ Haruka before finding you."

Rini giggled, smiling into her pillow.

"All because of a little baby powder in the shower head. Anyways, school's on tomorrow and so's training. Haruka's orders."

"Sounds good to me," Rini replied. She needed more practice with the new weapon.

"And lastly—it's going to be fine. Things always go back to good."

Rini for a moment could not reply. Vesta's words reminded her so much of Momo, her friend from the past—so much so that it hurt.

"Anyways, I'm supposed to be meditating. I told Raye I was peeing. See ya tomorrow."

"Thanks," Rini whispered, "Thanks, Ves."

The room was pitch black once more as the phone call ended.

And even though the argument still echoed in memory, Rini could see past the night into the morning ahead.

* * *

Neo-Queen Serenity sank down into a chair, laying her forehead on her folded arms. Golden hair fanned out across her elbows, spilling from the table to the floor. She closed her eyes, took one deep breath, and exhaled.

King Endymion leaned back against the table, one hand flat on the surface, the other curled under his chin thoughtfully. His eyes were shadowed behind the mask.

"We over-reacted," the Queen mumbled to the floor.

"We told the difficult truth," the King said gently, peeling off his mask and laying it on the table. "She returned the favor, too. We've been preoccupied." He sat down and reached out his arm to his wife's hair, pulling her head from her arms by the pigtail.

The Queen met her husband's gaze, and she softened at the sight of a familiar, comforting blue. "You wear a mask too much these days," she murmured, gently touching his cheek.

The King smiled grimly. "And you, a crown." He delicately removed the tiara from the Queen's hair, placing it on the table beside his mask.

Serenity began to pull bobby pins from her hair. "Small Lady is adjusting to so many new parts of her life, and our criticisms don't help. Don't you remember how awful high school could be? And the fights I had with Raye! It's hard having senshi, not to mention upset parents." She ran fingers through her wavy hair, fluffing it up.

"But," Endymion shed his tuxedo jacket and began to roll up the shirtsleeves, "she needs to understand the burden of being Crown Princess, not to mention Queen. If she is truly awakened now, it won't be long before her time arrives. There's so much for her to learn." He scratched the back of his neck. "We have to be firm enough to teach it."

Serenity, hair undone, now unbuckled the straps of her heels. "I'll ask Mina to speak with Small Lady about media relations. If anyone knows how to choose words in an interview, it's her." A glimmer of a smile. "It takes a sailor team to raise a princess."

Endymion chuckled, placing his bowtie on the table. "And I'll speak with Rini tomorrow." He found his wife's gaze once more and saw the worries that hid behind her smile. "It's going to be fine, Buns." He leaned over and kissed her forehead before returning to his own seat. He ran a hand down his suspenders slowly before removing them, twisting around to unbuckle the back. "I spoke with Sailor Pluto today. It seems Rini has inherited my Golden Crystal power. And…the generals. They are reborn."

Serenity was a pair of wide blue eyes. "How?"

"Galaxy Cauldron." Endymion leaned forward, taking her hands in his. "You gave me back my friends, Buns." Fingers entwined. "We're going to find them."

Serenity's eyes narrowed. "The scouts will need to know." She sighed. Raye would not be pleased. Neither would Ami. Lita would forgive, as Lita was wont to do. Mina…Mina was unreadable, despite her outward transparency. "If Rini has your power right now, could she be able to find them?" she posed. "And does that mean she could get a hold of Helios for us? Is this why your power has not been working?" The King sighed heavily as a clock chime resounded, announcing a late hour.

"Maybe." Endymion stood, pulling the queen up beside him. "But that's an entirely new problem for a new day." He pulled her close, and began the familiar steps of a ballroom dance. He was determined to smooth away the lines of worry between her eyebrows.

The queen leaned in with a sigh, accepting that her husband would not answer her questions this night. She closed her eyes, and the memory of multiple lifetimes filled their dance.

"It's been too long since we were Bunny and Darien. I think Rini was right about that." She stumbled over the hem of her gown, and the King's arm tightened around her waist.

With a sigh: "I miss being just Bunny, Endymion." She yawned, stumbling one more time with a small "oop!". s

"Bunny."

The King lifted his wife into his arms, bridal style. Her dress spilled over his arm, a thin, smooth silk.

"Call me Darien," he whispered into her ear. "Just Darien, Buns." She hugged his neck tightly, ignoring the pinch in her scalp from hair trapped by his grasp. They disappeared down the hall in the moonlight, leaving behind the accessories of their status in the dark dining hall.

* * *

Astraea knelt in the grass, wrinkling her nose at the horrific smell of the city park. She could barely breathe here. The air in the jungle was moist and heavy, but full of the rich soil, the wet leaves. Crystal Tokyo's park was falsifying fresh air—Astraea could still smell the smog on the night breeze, and it was choking her.

She untied a leather pouch from her belt and shook it. The sounds of clinking objects mingled with the cry of crickets.

"What are you doing?"

Astraea closed her eyes, the only action she allowed to express her annoyance. The loser that Hippolyta had recruited would not stop asking stupid questions.

_If only my sisters were here._

Astraea poured forth a stream of midnight blue marbles from the leather pouch onto the grass. Her movements caused the orange feathers in her hair to tickle her shoulders. "We're finding our next target," she answered.

Anaconda, scaled skin glinting in the moonlight, bent over the scattered marbles, skepticism evident in her shadowed features.

Astraea rolled her eyes. "The marbles detect unusually high energy levels, ones that are compatible with the jungle."

"Oh."

"Star Jungle Scope," Astraea spoke clearly, hands spread above the marbles. They began to glow softly, elevating from the grass and forming an oval as they moved. Beams of yellow light connected each marble together until the surface formed a glassy, milky gold—much like the water in the temple. A watery image emerged, a picture of an elegant, dark-haired woman, with blazing violet eyes. That picture melded away to show the same woman in a peculiar uniform, a short pleated skirt and heels, a tiara, flames licking at her feet.

"Who'sss that?"

Astraea was staring at the image with wide eyes. Something struck her about that outfit. Somehow, it was familiar to her. "A scout…" she echoed. Something crucial about that word.

"What does a sscout taste like?" Anaconda's eyes glowed red.

Astraea, slightly disgusted, snapped out of her odd nostalgia. "I'll let you find out."

Anaconda laughed, low and growly. Astraea closed her hand into a fist, and the marbles bunched together in the air, collapsing the picture. She held out the leather pouch, and let them fall. Then, she retied the bag at her waist, next to her slingshot. The two marched off into the night, their steps punctuated by the clink of Astraea's stone hair beads.

* * *

"Following The Great Freeze was a Neo-Industrial Revolution, which brought the invention of new infrastructure and new technology. Empowered by crystal life force, the people of this city approached the rebuilding with vigor and strength. This time of growth was encouraged by the royal family that still leads us today, nearly a millennium later. Their daughter, in fact, is part of our class." The history teacher motioned to his student, and continued in the monotone that had begun the school day.

Rini ducked her head, blushing as she scrawled down the notes on the board. So much technology available to record, dictate, or transcribe notes—but the paper/pen method of the past had been the most effective learning strategy for Rini. Nevertheless, some girls across the room had been giggling about it.

As if pink hair, royal status, bad publicity, and sudden growth spurts hadn't done enough to ostracize her…she had to be the only one in the classroom who was writing down notes. (As if she needed to—wasn't it enough to have _lived_ these things?)

"The expanded lifespan has heralded in its own technological advancements necessary for having not only a long life, but a life of high quality. Agricultural engineering took off, in effort to feed the mouths that never tired. Pop culture has changed, due to the fact that stardom now has an unlimited duration. Some idols of the past are never lost to the past. Nothing, in fact, is lost to the past now. Which means—we must discover a new definition of _history_. As the semester progresses, we will endeavor to uncover the meaning behind this word. Is history obsolete in a society that doesn't age?"

Next to her, Hotaru tapped quietly on a screen. Rini studied her friend, ignoring the rumblings of the teacher.

A full-grown Hotaru was several inches shorter than Rini, but still seemed years more mature. Her dark eyes were guarded, intuitive, and sharp. Her wrists were impossibly small. Such power in such a delicate body.

Behind Hotaru, Vesta (who had arrived on time, but only barely) feigned diligent note-taking, but Rini could tell by the hand movements that she was playing a video game. Juno was thoughtful, eyes on the window, but she also held out a recording device in lieu of taking notes, and was making sure to speak frequently enough that the teacher thought she was tuned in as well.

Pallas and Ceres sat at the front of the room, and had been most active in the class discussion. Pallas was impossibly chipper, and Ceres was quietly alert, contributing to the lecture in calm, assured phrases.

"Your task this week is to compose a five-page essay that expresses your definition of _history_ in the present age."

Her five friends had welcomed her into school this morning, but the rest of the class was abuzz with the events of yesterday. Some had cast their dirty glares in Rini's direction, and the princess was pulled back into the bullying of her younger years. Though no one could accuse her of not being true royalty, they could definitely ostracize her now because she _was_.

The bell rang, startling several students from a nap. The bustle of students gathering books drowned out the last of the teacher's words. Rini tucked away her notebooks and stood.

"Oh, sorry!" She had elbowed someone behind her. Rini turned, and then the world changed.

Warm brown eyes stared down at her, and a boy with a dimpled smile and shaggy blonde hair chuckled. "It's not a problem, princess." He stuck out a hand, confident. "I'm Ryo. I think we have calculus together, too." He was right—Rini recognized his face from their earlier class period.

"You can call me Rini." She shook the offered hand. Ryo smiled.

"I saw you help the school nurse yesterday. That was really kind. I figure actions speak louder than words." He winked, and jerked a thumb over at a cluster of girls giving Rini the death stare. "Even if they don't agree."

Rini's mouth went dry. "Um, thanks," she croaked. Ryo scooted past her, pausing to press a thumb against the crook of her elbow, and he disappeared out the door.

Hotaru hooked an arm through Rini's. "You're blushing," she stated teasingly. "Let's hope he sticks around longer than your other crushes."

Rini leaned into her best friend, laughing weakly. "You know it's nothing." She stepped out the door, narrowly dodging a gaggle of students. "I'm…I'm already taken. I think."

"Have you heard from him again?" Hotaru's eyes were wide. "Rini!"

Rini shook her head fiercely. "No! I asked 'Etsy about it, but there's no key," she said, voice low. "I've been trying to focus pink moon power into the twinkle bell, but that doesn't work either." She frowned. "But I'm still trying…so I think that means I still love him first."

Hotaru shut her locker. "Love is a strong word, Rini. Especially for someone you haven't seen in…two years? Or is it a thousand?" She sighed. "Time travel confuses me, even having Pluto as a mother." She shrugged. "Either length of time is a bit long to wait, though, isn't it?" She laid a hand on Rini's shoulder gently. "I'm just trying to tell you it's okay for feelings to change. After all, you still kissed Peruru."

"Oh, come on!" Rini blushed. "That was a thank you."

"Even so," Hotaru replied sagely.

Rini chewed her lip, reluctant to take Hotaru's words. "There's got to be a reason. There's got to be a reason he's silent." She clasped the heart-shaped brooch on her chest, inhaling the fresh air as she and Hotaru exited the school building to walk to their Literature class together (the quartet was not far behind, judging by the raucous laughter behind them).

"At any rate, we've got other things to worry about," Hotaru replied, glancing back at the four sisters. She tugged Rini's hand. "Let's wait for them." Then the scout of silence looked up at the changing sky. "It's going to rain," she murmured.

Meanwhile, Rini smiled back at her scouts. "Slowpokes!" she yelled playfully.

Vesta jogged up, nudging Rini with her elbow. "Not everyone is as excited to read books as you are, Rin!"

"But I am!" Pallas giggled and took the arm of Rini's that Hotaru did not occupy.

Juno yawned. "Three classes deep, and I'm already ready to go back to sleep. When's gym class again?"

"Sixth period," Ceres answered, studying a schedule that was on her tablet screen. "Then elective, then clubs. Then, for us, training." She snapped the cover back over her device. "School newspaper for me," she added wistfully. "And photography."

Rini smiled at this new tidbit about her taciturn friend. "You like journalism?" Ceres nodded in reply. "I'll be in art club," Rini offered. "And maybe a capella." Mina had given her voice lessons for a long time.

"Track team for me," Vesta said. "Volleyball too."

Juno pumped a fist in the air. "Let's do it!" she high-fived her redhead sister. Then she frowned. "But only if I have time to play guitar."

"See how much time we all have when the enemy comes back," Hotaru said softly. Her eyes were so far away.

The group sobered, walking a few beats in silence.

"Well, until then," said Pallas, "let's have fun." She leapt forward from the group, dipping into a graceful turn. "Fighting doesn't mean there can't be dancing too. Dance team for me-EEE!" A dip in the sidewalk caused her to trip, falling into the arms of an unsuspecting upperclassman. "Oops! Sorry!"

The girls laughed, tucking arms into their sides. Then they heard the trill of the school bell, and felt the droplets of an approaching rain. They took off running into the school building, shrieking and laughing in their haste.

* * *

Dr. Mizuno sipped the coffee gratefully, poring over an article with deep concentration, occasionally pausing to type into a slim silver laptop. Lita had given her her favorite corner table, which gave her a wall against her back and a full view of the café room. A break in her schedule (and a sense of urgency, wanting to see Lita) had led her to _Flour Petal_ for the afternoon caffeine fix.

With a heavy sigh, Lita plopped down into the chair across from her friend. She wiped her hands on the apron and crossed her arms, two jerky motions. Ami willed her eyes to stay on the data table in the research journal, knowing that the second she looked up at her friend, the charade would be undone.

"So you saw him."

Ami finally closed the laptop, marking her space in the article with a receipt. "Yes," she replied quietly, eyes still on the table. "And thanks for listening to me, in my frenzy. But I'm here to talk about—"

"I know. Bunny and Darien aren't too thrilled with the news these days."

"It's peculiar." Ami stirred her coffee. "We've never had such negative attitudes before. And they seem to all stem from Channel 46. It was bought out recently, right? What is it called now? Jungle Star News Network?"

Lita nodded.

"Interesting." Ami fell silent in thought.

"Well," Lita said, "the times are changing." She pulled out a tabloid, featuring a picture of Rini on her way to school with the caption _Mysterious Growth Spurt Connected to Unethical Research Funded by the Royal Family? Find out the secret behind our Crown Princess' pink hair!_"

Ami scoffed. "Now that's just silly. What does it say?" She reached for the magazine, but Lita pulled it beyond her grasp.

"Nothing too credible. Another crack pot theory about Rini being illegitimate." Lita regarded Ami with serious intent. The magazine popped and crinkled as Lita pulled it shut. "And now we _are_ going to talk about Zoisite." (Ami winced at his name).

Ami adjusted her glasses. "It seems he is a professor, in this life. Neuroscience. Interesting, considering his role as a medical captain in the Silver Millenium. It was…tough, running into him. I most likely won't do it again." She spoke with a detachment that troubled Lita.

"All of us have our memories back, Ami," Lita said. "So we know it's probably hard for you. Talk to us."

Ami clenched her jaw, frustrated. "We don't even know for certain if it's truly him," she said forcefully. "The resemblance could have been a coincidence."

Lita's tone softened. "It's not, hon. You would know." She twisted one of her rose earrings, watching as a light rain began to fall against the windowpane. "But the question is, why now?"

"Probably Galaxia," Ami muttered. "Everything comes back to the cauldron these days." She finally met the gaze of her sister. Her ice blue eyes widened, taking in Lita's blush, the hopeful upturned corner of her lips.

"You're happy about it. You want them back." It was not a question. It was a diagnosis.

Lita's cheeks reddened, and she looked away, nodding. "Yes. Very much." The bells on the door announced a new customer, and Lita forced herself to stand. "We've all been alone for too long. Just let me hope a little bit. And think before you decide to freeze out these feelings. Can't we let the past just be the past?" Impulsively, she bent and hugged Ami tightly around the shoulder, planting an affectionate kiss against her temple before whisking herself back into the business world.

Ami pursed her lips. "That's what I was thinking, too," she murmured. She watched a single glasslike raindrop trickle down the windowpane.

_Celery green eyes, bright against the dusky blue of the storm sky. Hair stuck limply to the sides of his face, and he laughed, hands spread to welcome the downpour, even as it soaked his grey uniform. Rain in streaks, sliding down his nose, down his chin, down his neck. She smiled, and he leaned in, pushing a wet strand back from her forehead. Her feet were bare, and her navy dress was slick and heavy against her skin. She could taste rain on her lips. She could feel ice forming nervously on her fingertips. His voice, reedy and soft as he grew closer, "You should wear rain more often. It looks beautiful on you." The kind of words that could only sound sincere from his mouth. Two hands now on her face and the gap between them closed—__**BEEPbeepeepBEEP—**_

Ami jumped at the sound of her beeper. She frowned, gathering her things in a hurry. "My name wasn't even Ami back then," she muttered. "It's a life that's gone. The past already _is_ past." Shooting a glance at Lita, who returned her wave, she shoved open the café door, and stalked off down the street to the hospital, wary of every wavy blonde ponytail.

The smell of rain lingered too long.

* * *

Rini barely fit under the umbrella with Juno and Ceres. She repeatedly blew Juno's green hair out of her mouth, but somehow the ponytail kept returning to the same place. Finally Rini shoved her bag onto Juno's shoulder and stepped out into the steady rain.

"Hey!"

"Keep my books dry, JunJun!" she giggled and skipped forward into the puddles, arms wide. The rain splashed around her, and she relished the sensation of drops on her skin, on her closed eyes.

"Someone's happy," Ceres remarked. "Pal! Taru! Hurry up!" she called back to the two behind them, who also huddled under an umbrella. Vesta, the only one who had checked the weather forecast, tugged a bright red raincoat closer around her as she walked between the two groups. She paused, and pointed at a brightly colored poster.

"Look!" She began to jump in excitement. "There's a new _Moonlight Knight_ video game! Can we go to the arcade?! Please oh please—"

Pallas gently took her sister's arm and dragged her forward. "Training time with Haruka!" she sang out.

The group approached a crosswalk, and Hotaru broke away, leaving Pallas to shriek at the onslaught of rain that was left in the wake of the umbrella. "I'm going to make a stop here," Hotaru announced. "I'll meet up with you at the garage."

Rini cocked her head to the side. "Where ya going, Taru?"

"The hospital," Hotaru replied. "I want to see what we missed."

"The school nurse," Ceres said. "That's a good idea. Do you want company?"

Hotaru shook her head. "Haruka is expecting all of you, but I've got some experience under my belt already." Her eyes were dark, sparkling. "I might not be training as much as you five. I'll be doing some more investigating."

"Well okay then," Rini said. "Just be careful getting home!"

Hotaru waved, and ventured away.

"Hmph!" Vesta crossed her arms, pulling up beside Ceres. "If she's skipping out, then I don't see why we can't sneak in a few rounds of _Moonlight Knight_."

Ceres ignored her sister, attention caught by something bright and glimmering on the sidewalk in the rain. As she drew closer, she realized that what she thought was one item was in fact two. She knelt down as Juno held the umbrella. "What's up, Cere?" asked her green-haired sister.

Ceres picked up the objects. One was a small, orange feather, limp and bent over by the weight of rain. The other was a stone bead, painted a deep teal. A shiver traveled up her spine.

"These objects…" she held her hand up for her sisters to see. Pallas and Rini danced together in the rain, not yet knowing that the three of them had paused. "Do we know…do we know who these belong to?"

Vesta's eyes narrowed, for only a moment they sparked—but then she let out a bellowing laugh. "Ceres, don't pick things up off the ground, you goose! You don't know where it's all been!"

Juno furrowed her brow. "What are those?" She ventured a peek from beyond the edge of the umbrella, green eyes blinking up against the falling rain, as though trying to decipher whether or not the objects had fallen from the gray, oppressive sky. She shared another look with Ceres, then, shrugging, started forward again.

Ceres lagged behind, and the droplets that gathered on the feather in her hand mirrored the mist that clung to her lashes. Something lingered like a flame in her heart, and she turned the bead over, and she sighed, soft and low.

But her sisters were growing farther away, and her bag was getting wet, and so she dropped the objects and sprinted forward, burrowing between Juno and Vesta under the bright umbrella once more.

* * *

From the rooftop above the arcade, Astraea watched lazily as the people below moved, grouping and weaving like fire ants. The rain was nothing foreign for her, and yet so many of these humans were frantic for shelter, carrying with them contraptions that looked like the leaves of the rainforest bushes. _They have lost touch with us, _she thought to herself, to her mother, to her lost sisters. _They don't know anymore. How to be content with the land. _She licked the rain from her mouth. It tasted different here.

The stars had guided her here, to the rooftop above this building, which emitted a strange energy signature. The symbol were scrawled along a post on the side, but Astraea did not recognize their shape. She was waiting for the girl with the violet eyes.

In her boredom, she had taken to dropping things off the side of the building, biting back laughter when the humans looked up and got rain in their eyes.

Astraea's gaze followed two girls who danced down the sidewalk, unafraid of the rain. _That's more like it. _

Then the girls drew closer, and Astraea's breath caught.

Blue hair, in four ponytails, and the unique twirling of a familiar form. Astraea's gaze traveled to the pink haired friend, hoping, wishing—but no, it wasn't—

Another group approached, and Astraea could only see feet under an umbrella until one knelt to pick something from the ground—one who had pink hair in a looping ponytail—three faces looked up—three utterly dear faces—three _treacherous_ faces who had _abandoned_ her—

"_My sisters._"

This was why the stars had brought her here. To see the way she had been so quickly replaced. Astraea's gaze lingered a moment on the one with long pink hair, whose face she knew from another encounter.

Anaconda slouched against a wall, trying desperately to avoid getting wet. When she saw the look on Astraea's face, she stepped forward and peered over the edge. "Are thosssse the target? They look full of energy."

Astraea's fist clenched, then relaxed once more. "No. Not yet."

* * *

**8 Acres East**

Sorry for the delays. Too much I want to happen and too little time to write it down.


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